Albums by this artist

Lost Somewhere Between The Earth And My Home (1995)

The Geraldine Fibbers

Lost Somewhere Between The Earth And My Home

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» PATRICK KASTNER | STAFF WRITER

The Geraldine Fibbers Lost Somewhere Between The Earth And My Home Virgin, 1995 RiYL: Rolling Stones, Grifters, That Dog

It seemed as though everyone was doing country music in 1995. From Pavement to Wilco to Live, bands were dabbling in laid-back arrangements, stringed instruments, slide guitars and good old-fashioned nasal twang. But The Geraldine Fibbers were doing no dabbling. They were seizing country music, kicking and screaming, and twisting it into their own punk identity.

On the Fibbers' debut, Lost Somewhere Between The Earth And My Home, their appropriation of Country and Western is as dramatic and dynamic as the Rolling Stones' was in the late '60s and early '70s. Like the Stones, The Geraldine Fibbers go beyond aping their roots and create something unique. Songs such as "The Small Song,'' with its manic violin and crashing guitars, are punk and country, and pissed off.

The marriage between the three is spectacular, making the album one of the best of 1995.

Singer Carla Bozulich's vocals are a more androgynous version of Courtney Love's voice. Like Love, Bozulich can belt out enticing lyrics such as "everything I say is a stupid lie / I won't tell the truth even when I die," as she sings on "Dragon Lady."

But Bozulich is only part of the story. What makes The Geraldine Fibbers so exciting is the sonic landscapes they create in their songs. Opener "Lilybelle'' is a union of edgy guitars, grand underlying violins and crashing cymbals that creates an expansive, epic feel. On songs such as "Dusted'' and "Get Thee Gone,'' the band creates a tense sound, like a modern day Velvet Underground with manic tempos, cathartic singing and edgy, grating guitars.

The Geraldine Fibbers are by no means country rock, they are something far beyond the Flying Burrito Brothers. Lost Somewhere Between The Earth And My Home shows the band creating a new genre altogether. A very exciting moment of the mid-'90s.

PATRICK KASTNER | Affectionately known as Cousin Patty (yes, it's a "Throw Momma From The Train" reference), Patrick Kastner is a designer for the Columbus Post-Dispatch.