Lisa Maxwell | en

There are two artists with this name:

1. Lisa Maxwell is an American jazz vocalist.

2. A concoction of noise, aggression, rock, humour, “gruff anthems”, upbeat music, downbeat music, true stories and total fabrications: rock songwriter/musician Lisa Maxwell’s debut longplayer, Select Vacancy.

Produced by Jamie Durrant and Lisa Maxwell, the album’s title track and opener is packed with energy and intense melancholy. Rampant guitars are fronted by Lisa's vitriolic snarl on Anna and the ferocious I Know.

But it’s not always just about rock guitar: dulcimer, Wurlitzer piano and 'fly spray can' slide on Not So Easy, subsonic bass and a hint of synth on Out Of Sight, slide guitar on Same Story and 80's-inspired keyboards and electronic rhythmic sounds courtesy of a collaboration with producer Chris Gates on Waste Of A Life. Even pieces of Lisa's original demos, recorded herself on her laptop computer with a $10 microphone, made it into the final mix.

Select Vacancy follows the release of Lisa’s 2005 Bad Day EP, which produced the Rage (ABC-TV) and Rage On Demand viewer favourite Harmonic Rock, a chaotic instrumental with a video inspired by the Japanese horror film Ring. Tracks from the EP and new album have received national airplay in Australia, along with a favourable response and airplay in the UK, Japan, USA, and Canada.

Hear for yourself: we recommend playing this one loud. Enjoy it.

Feel a little more neurotic and isolated than usual... .