Lissie Worth a Listen

By Angela Hu

Folk plus blues with a hipster finish yields an album that won't disappoint

At first glance, Lissie may fool you. She has straight blonde hair, obnoxiously large transparent glasses and flannels, lots of them. She goes barefoot while she plays her guitar and makes funky faces while she sings. I can already see all those hipsters in Williamsburg scurrying around, trying to persuade her to join the club, but little do they know, Lissie’s got talent.

Lissie, originally from Illinois, is making waves with her latest debut. She’s been hovering in and out the music scene, recording and posting some of her originals on YouTube but also covering some classics like Bob Dylan’s “Ramona.” Her latest EP “Why You Runnin’” is a cacophony of her raw, tantalizing voice, along with soft claps and super mellow guitar strums in the background.

Her voice, which vaguely reminds me of Neko Case of The New Pornographers, is a total throwback to a time of Stevie Nicks and Joni Mitchell. Instead of singing from her throat (uhh, looking at you Taylor), Lissie’s voice overpowers while putting listeners into a mellow calm.

It’s a rare combination, but Lissie’s accomplished it easily. Her sound ‘s unique and fresh and she comes off absolutely enchanting. Classifying her music strictly as folk would give listeners the wrong impression, as Lissie adds an apparent bluesy-feel to her songs.

She’s just an artist that you can’t seem to hate. She’s humble (she said in a recent interview that she’s shocked when fans recognize who she is) and she has all the right things to say / sing. Underneath that hipster front is an unmistakable talent worth a listen.

Angela Hu is a regular columnist of Bringin' Da Noise.