Lizabett Russo – Something-in-movement (Premiere)

Based in Scotland, Romanian folk singer-songwriter Lizabett Russo is set to self-release her third album Something-in-movement on Friday 10 May. A collection of nine original songs and one Romanian folk song, Russo's main instrument is the classical guitar, although she switches things up on Danube Song where she plays the charango, a small stringed instrument that's a member of the lute family.

Russo's band is made up of Modern Studies' Pete Harvey on cello, Graeme Stephen on electric guitar, loops and effects, Tim Lane on tongue drum (yes, we had to google that too) and percussion, and Tim Vincent-Smith on violin.

Ahead of Something-in-movement's release, The Skinny are delighted to be giving you a first listen to the album, which you can do so in the below player (click here if it's not displaying correctly). We also have an exclusive track-by-track account of the album from Russo hereself, which you can read while you listen. 

Ocean Frequency
"The classic story; my family wanted me to become a doctor or a lawyer. I chose music and many other things that are not considered financially stable careers. This song speaks about being the black sheep of the family, the one that strayed from its nest and replaced old mentalities and views with new ones through travelling and creating. It’s about embracing changes and allowing things to just happen, but it also reflects the struggle of not being accepted – especially by your own family – for what you really are."

The Back Leg of the Fox
"The song is a reminder to stay present and to trust yourself and nature. It’s important to give oneself time to heal – heal from the desire to satisfy everyone, heal from trauma, heal from abuse, heal from the crazy times we live in. It’s a call to remember who we really are – to listen to your own heart speak. There are so many opinions as to what we are as human beings and our purpose, but no one knows anything for certain. The only thing to trust is your intuition and that it’s okay to take your time and learn about yourself, bit by bit, every day."

Penumbra
"This is an imagined medieval story of a girl who lives in a village which faces wars and destruction. When I look at present times it seems to me that little has changed: we destroy and get destroyed. Somehow we can’t learn the simple lesson of peace. There’s always a demon and an angel inside us and we are yet to tame the devil and put him to rest. 'This life is only a spot in our time / We take nothing to the other side' – so why the rush to kill, steal and accumulate wealth? We take nothing with us – but what is done to others and the environment cannot be undone."

Times of Change
"The lyrics definitely speak for themselves in this one. Although everything changes and everything passes and we are all different – we are still basically the same. We are all made of the same physical matter and are all energetic beings with immense capabilities and force. I get frustrated when I think of how little we know about ourselves and how little we use of what we are capable of. Travelling opened up so many doors of awareness for me. However, there are still so many things to learn – it will probably never stop."

Under the Earth
"This song was written during my first travels in a remote part of Japan. There were lots of abandoned houses in a forest I was visiting and I felt the urge to write a song next to them. There was something eerie about the way things inside them looked untouched and still in the exact same places where they were left years and years ago. Not everything changes, and I liked that feeling. It felt like travelling through time."

Birds
"I was just thinking that we get so busy with life that we forget to listen to the birds around us. It seems like the world is spinning very fast, yet the beautiful birds are still doing what they have always done, which engenders a feeling of wanting to return to a more simple life. Upgrade no more. I quit a lot of social media like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – there was too much pressure to be visible, to matter, to make an appearance. I don’t feel the need to do any of that now. I strive towards just being and working on it everyday."

The Hunter and the Prey
"I came to Scotland for university and like any good student I had many part-time jobs throughout my uni years. One of these was working in a kitchen, but instead of making sandwiches and coffees I used to spend a lot of time writing lyrics to vent my frustration and put into words what I thought about our system. This song was written in a cafeteria kitchen and through my eyes the world was divided into hunters and prey – me being the prey, stuck doing a job because I had no choice. However, when I look at it now I feel like everything we do adds to our experience, and without it I wouldn’t have written this song, so something good came out of it."

Deep, Dark Moon
"I went through a period of depression a few years ago, surrounded by people but feeling utterly alone and isolated. Music has always been my therapy and this song helped me cope with my own emotions."

When the North Wind Blows
"It takes time to realise that the love you once shared with someone is gone and will never return. This song is about those beautiful memories and how when a certain type of wind comes visiting at night, it also brings those memories with it. It’s nostalgic thinking about someone you spent part of your life with; the truth being that they will always go on living within you no matter what."

Hai, Dunarea Mea (Danube Song)
"This is a beautiful traditional Romanian song that I heard my grandfather singing when he was working in the fields or when ‘driving’ his horse and cart. Grandpa was a simple peasant man, working his land and making moonshine in his garden. He was always singing this song but I never got the chance to ask why he liked it so much. Maybe in another lifetime."

---

Something-in-movement is self-released on 10 May

Lizabett Russo plays Eden Court, Inverness, 24 May; St Mary's Space, Argyll, 1 Jun; An Tobar, Tobermory, 2 Jul; Leith Depot, Edinburgh, 7 & 10 Aug; Lyth Arts Centre, Caithness, 11 Oct

lizabettrusso.com