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Leslie Winer is a bit of a mystery. After working as a well-known model in New York, where she got a reputation for being "difficult to work with" (therefore heightening her appeal to fashionistas), she met William Burroughs and Jean-Michel Basquiat, dropped out of the scene, and produced this stunning, prescient album. Then she seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth, only to occasionally resurface doing vocals for second-hand artists like Bomb The Bass and Mekon. Perhaps she needed the money...
Recorded in 1990/1, under the weight of the eighties and all they entailed, this album is a wonderful mix of disgust at the legacy of the past decade and heartfelt hopes for the future. Having been at the centre of the cold-beauty-obsessed 1980s, Winer was in the perfect position to see their dark side, but what makes her stand out is the clarity of her vision. This shows through partially in the groundbreaking music - trip hop before there was trip hop. Blue Lines came out at exactly the same time, but I think Witch has stood the test of time much better, to some extent because she hasn't used loops lifted from old soul tracks. However, what makes this album really stand out is the lyrics. Rather than the well-presented but banal lyrics of Massive Attack, Winer lived up to one of her (admittedly stupid) nicknames - the Punk Model. For example, the lyrics to In 1 Ear, drawled in a deapan spoken voice over a minimal electronica / dub-style backing: . If I get raped it must have been my fault . And if I get bashed I must have provoked it . And if I raise my voice I'm a nagging bitch . And if I like f**king, I'm a whore . And I don't wanna I never wanna . (you never wanna, you never wanna) . And if I love a woman . It's because I can't get a real man or . It's for his enjoyment . And if I ask my doctor too many questions . I'm neurotic and . I need pills . But I still can't get safe birth control . While some f**ker's roaming the moon Along with this bite there is, for want of a better phrase, a social conscience. In 5 she asks . The Gulf, Shell, BP, Exxon, Esso War . What's it good for? . Newly dug graves . A TV with static . Cities and maps are this place . In your eyes But there are also much more and thoughtful moments, as in Dream 1, the last track on the album: . Yeah, keep it simple . Come on . I had the strangest dream . The book that I read . And the stone that I found . And the tree that I saw . And the animal that I knew . And the language that I spoke in . And the script that I wrote . Shall I? . Shall I tell you? . Shall I tell you what I've been dreaming? It's such a shame that she never got around to recording any new material of her own. But then perhaps that's what so perfect about this album and Leslie Winer - that whatever happened to her, she didn't end up prostituting herself for the money that would surely have come her way for a follow-up. That means her great music can speak for itself...
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