"Ruminants," Lisa Germano's breathy waltz about digestion, is weird and beautiful and kind of sad (a musical combination that gets me pretty much every time). It's also a real standout on her recent album, No Elephants.
I hadn't heard of Lisa Germano before "Ruminants," but apparently she's been busy. No Elephants is her ninth studio album, with a handful a self-releases to add to her portfolio as well. Her prolific habit of music making is a bit of a bummer for me insofar as it's daunting to discover an artist you find interesting only to learn that you're about a dozen LPs behind in their work. But alas, while I can't speak to her career as a whole, I can testify to the fact that upon first listen, I found "Ruminants" to be an absolutely captivating track.
Germano's melancholic vocal delivery, the inclusion of animal noises in the song, and the strange high-pitched metallic digital drones that bubble up subtly throughout the verses of the otherwise classical waltz all contribute to a certain peculiar ambiance and musical quality that makes my ears stand at attention.
I love music that defies the expectations of the listener (even if just in small ways), and "Ruminants" does just that. With its 3:4 waltz format, its bizarre subject material, and equally interesting production elements, "Ruminants cultivates a uniqueness that had me revisiting the track again and again.
SIMILAR SONGS
