Lioness - A musical Review

The following is from Lioness' website:




Lioness came together in Toronto in the winter of early 2007, almost in secret, when Jeff Scheven and Ronnie Morris, the rhythm section behind the stomping disco pulses of controller, hooked up with Vanessa Fischer of soul-punk quartet No Dynamics. Haunting off-the-radar locales, playing low-key after-hours sets in dark, sweaty clubs, Lioness generated a noteworthy undercurrent of buzz on the scene. On stage, Lioness exudes a pure, electric energy that has caught the attention bands like !!!, You Say Party! We Say Die! and K-OS – having supported each over the past year.

Their sans-guitar sound is like a head-on collision of old and new, as Fischer draws upon jazz, old soul and blues, roaring and moaning over layers of electronic squall and elastic rhythms like a witch in heat. It’s a clash of organic and synthetic, the sound of disco and house music filtered and distorted through the instrumental apparatus of live rock and roll. On stage, they are a synthesis of an electronic rock band and a performance art project; a drum and bass wall of sound bathed in red light.

The members of Lioness are deeply rooted in the Canadian arts industry. Scheven has parlayed his love of music and visual artistry into directing music videos for the likes of Death From Above, TV On The Radio and Dragonette. Fischer moonlights as a costume designer. She recently took her keen fashion sense to the small screen for the Gemini nominated television show called Cock’d Gunns (on Showcase & IFC channels). Morris, having already completed university degrees in Art and History, is currently working on his third.

The band’s anticipated debut EP was recorded at Signal To Noise in Toronto with Rob Sanzo (controller.controller, Danko Jones, Sum 41) and mastered by Nilesh “Nilz” Patel at The Exchange in London (Bjork, Daft Punk, Air). The EP releases October 14th, 2008 on New Romantic, distributed through Sonic Unyon.

The Wizard took a listen to this band and I was quite impressed with the music. I found the style to be like Heart - ethereal. "You're My Heart" is belted out by lead singer Vanessa Fischer to a throbbing bass and electronic symphony - call it hard rock with a modern twist. "Harder They Fall" is reminiscent of another band that is also as unique as LIONESS, "Toronto", but again, a little more up to date - coupled with Jeff Scheven and Ronnie Morris - electronics, I don't usually go for but in this case they work.

"Interlude" is pure electronic segway to "Haunted Magick" - a song with a steady danceable beat and a bit macabre - which adds delight to the tune. "What You Do Will Come Back" finishes the songs that I listened to and is another great vocal by Vanessa. The great bass line and percussion fits well again with the electronic background - a powerful song for a powerful group.

Lioness is "Full of Energy" and definitely worth while for a listen or add to your CD collection.

You can find out more about Lioness on their MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/lionesslionesslioness

and their EP is out in stores.