Liliput (formerly Kleenex) was a female band that came out of Switzerland at the peak of the
punk artistic fervor.
Like with their American counterpart, the Frightwig,
Liliput's lo-fi aesthetic and childish playing bridged
the gap between the
Runaways
and the riot-grrrl generation.
The Kleenex debuted with a self-titled EP in 1978.
Beri-Beri and Hedi's Head exhibit the
neurotic vocals and funkish beat of the Talking Heads.
But Ain't You sounded like a parody of punk-rock,
full of their trademark "ooo" and "eee" and chirping choir.
The single You (1978) boasts a more aggressive beat and almost screaming
vocals.
The first Liliput single, Die Matrosen (1980), is a
Raincoats-style
nursery rhyme with saxophone.
DC 10, from the same recording sessions, is even more musical, and
the single Eisiger Wind (1981) is a wild, witchy bacchanal.
I Had A Dream
sounds like a rehearsal session for the Fleshtones.
The skills were improving.
The ever changing line-up (around original founders
guitarist Marlene Marder and bassist Klaudia Schiff) finally recorded a
full-length album, Liliput (Rough Trade, 1982), whose highlights are the
surreal funk vignettes of Do You Mind My Dream and Outburst.
But the album also features the spastic square-dance of Birdy,
the industrial disco-music of Feel Like Snakes and Tong Tong,
the Japanese free-jazz of Tschik-mo and Ichor,
the avantgarde noises of Umamm.
Suddenly the music was more important than the lyrics and the band was
experimenting in all directions.
The single Jatz (1983) was a rap over a funk shuffle.
The second album, Some Songs (Rough Trade, 1983), was a tad too
self-conscious and artsy: jazzy piano leads the syncopated
Ring-a-ding-dong;
the accordion leads the Alpine waltz of
Blue Is All In Rush;
Atonal guitar, piano, sax and bongos jam in the robotic
On Streets Without Names.
Liliput (Kill Rock Stars, 2001) is a double-CD anthology.
