Steve Lieberman – Liquidatia-455 / 2004 Self-Released / 14 Tracks / http://www.gangstarabbi.com / [email protected] / Reviewed 24 September 2004

Starting out Liquidatia-455 with a punky, uptempo beat, Steve keeps from the more abstract tracks that drug down eir’s last release, Desert Fever Brigade. The flute comes back in a strong way during this CD, and just to be honest, a little less reliance on that instrument would make the tracks seem more varied and even more radio friendly, as the flute itself just lies on top of the track without any rhyme or reason, at time only having annoyance as its purpose. Lieberman’s Jethro Tull-like flute is described in detail during “Jethro Tull Fantasykamp“, which has to get some sort of metal for the cheesiest lyrical content and some of the worst lyrics of the last few years – “they hired a groupie to show me her knockers, I took my stuff from my locker-next year-I’ll be Joe Cocker”. Slowing down the tempo and infusing “Bonkey on the Donkey” with a more traditional rock sound, Lieberman might have had a successful track on eir’s hand if the lyrics weren’t as distorted and compressed as they are found to be currently on the track.

The distortion of the vocals that is a hold over from the previous track allows for Lieberman to have a whole atmosphere of cheap, poor, 70s punk recording during “Skinheads in My Yard – Oy Vey!”. In this track, the flute can sound atrocious and still fit into the scheme of 77 UK punk – one of the best tracks from the period, the X-Ray Spex “Oh Bondage, Up Yours” had a sax line that is just as off-kilt as anything that Lieberman could possibly throw out. “Dogpark” is the first track on Liquidatia-455 that actually challenges the status quo for Lieberman, as the track is much more electronic, a guitar-led industrial track that still does not fail to include the flute.

The techno groove continues with the near-title track “Liquidation of Me” ,a largely disjointed, ineffectual track that sputters out electronic noise as if a synthesizer had a fatal virus. The track is much more focused than Desert Fever Brigade, but Lieberman still has miles to go before ey sleeps. Much more coherent of a disc, Liquidatia-455 almost has enough energy and common themes to allow for a second listen. A track like “Pur’im in the Ghetto” moves away from the novelty-act that is Mizar and slightly (ever so) moves towards the land of milk and honey that is Frank Zappa and Atom and His Package.

Top Tracks : Pur’im in the Ghetto, Skinheads in my Yard – Oy Vey

Rating: 4.8/10