As the eighties came to an end, and the heavier punk rock days of the NYC indie scene gave way to psychedelic indie pop, so Lida Husik arrived. Originally from Washington D.C., she settled in New York and signed to seminal label, Shimmy Disc (home to artists such as Ween, Galaxie 500 and Daniel Johnston). They released three of her albums, of which Bozo was the first.
Introspective and almost like a collection of demos, Lida played virtually every instrument on Bozo’s 12 songs – a huge feat considering she is completely self-taught. Imagine if The Velvet Underground had sprung up a couple of decades later and you’ll get a sense of the sound, but there is more to this than a pastiche of that well-known NYC sound.
Described as an album with songs that are ‘programmed to sink slowly into the listener’s subconscious, like a magic potion’, it’s feels like it could have been created as an aural depiction of a drug haze, or the US-version of shoegaze; it reminds me of the morning after wandering around the countryside while on ‘shrooms. Impressionistic, experimental.
It’s claimed that Lida’s first two album were recorded while on massive doses of hallucinogens, which might explain things. No doubt, also influenced by The Teardrop Explodes’ use of swirling organs and liberal use of LSD from a decade before. It’s this that makes it both of its time and timeless.
This is not a dark album; its naïve construction and hazy delivery ensure it is lifted away from the introspection contemporary artists were known for. Occasionally, on songs such as Halloween and Mom, it delights with melodies that might even be described as catchy. For sure there are earworms here (Farmhouse, for example), yet this is not music I would describe as tunes for bopping along to while you mix cocktails or make cheese on toast (or both, I’m not here to judge).
What it does deserve is wider attention. Bozo showcases an artist doing things on her own terms, and succeeding.
And as the late, great Bill Hicks said, “If you think drugs are bad, go home tonight and burn all your albums, all your tapes and all your CDs, because the people who made that great music that has enhanced your lives throughout the years… real fucking high on drugs.”
Listen on Spotify, or YouTube.