Nomy Lamm has described herself as a "queer anarchist punk, religious Jew, new age-y conspiracy theorist, tree-hugging hippie, fat pervert mutant freak, small-town white girl." In other words, she has everything in the world going for her. Effigy, the singer/songwriter's second album, doesn't exactly go out of its way to be mainstream or middle-of-the-road; Lamm's specialty is a very challenging, left-of-center blend of avant-rock and electronica. There is nothing innocuous about this CD -- musically, she tends to be abstract and eccentric, and lyrically, she is provocative (although not confrontational) in a highly sociopolitical way (often bringing feminist and lesbian themes to the table). Sociopolitical writing can easily become preachy, but that isn't a problem for Lamm -- perhaps because her quirkiness prevents that from happening. Like a lot of avant-garde artists -- rock, jazz, electronica, or otherwise -- Lamm can be quite self-indulgent. But because her creativity is at a high level, one can easily deal with her excesses (or even accept them as a charming part of her overall presentation). Lamm, for all her self-indulgence, is genuinely talented and expressive -- not to mention daring and eclectic. During the course of the album, she brings a variety of influences to Effigy's avant-rock/electronica foundation -- everything from Middle Eastern music on "Belong to You" to hip-hop on "L-E-T-S-G-O" and soul on "If You Say You're Gonna Love Me." The latter, and a cover of Sinéad O'Connor's "Just Like U Said It Would B," are perhaps the closest that Effigy comes to a mainstream approach, but even those tracks find Lamm maintaining her fiercely individualistic spirit. Effigy is a CD that must be accepted on its own terms, and those who are adventurous enough to go along for the ride will find a lot to appreciate about Lamm -- excesses, self-indulgence and all. ~ Alex Henderson
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