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It appears that Liz Ziman has been flirting with a busted heart. At least, that's what it sounds like on this second offering from Brooklyn's Elizabeth & the Catapult. All the indications are there: bitterness, a jaded outlook, and the disjointed hope for a better tomorrow — but not necessarily in that order, since love never follows a logical connection of the dots. And though no new ground is broken, the classically trained pianist and Berklee alumna shows her confidence and talent with this strong break-up record right after the quirky cool of last year's Taller Children. That's good news for those Sara Bareilles/Rachael Yamagata–loving chicks looking for a fresh soundtrack to back their I've-been-scorned journal entries at Diesel Café. "Time (We All Fall Down)" sets the mood from the start as it waits for a lost love to return, the patient lyrics belied by an agitated musical backdrop. Arms folded in a heard-it-all-before position, she directs "Worn Out Tune" at the beloved who doesn't return — a topic she deals with further on the sarcastic requiem "Thank You for Nothing." Ziman goes for a Damien Rice/Lisa Hannigan feel on "Go Away My Lover," and the song comes off surprisingly well, with a staccato, almost tribal backbeat, and fellow singer-songwriter Jeff Taylor sturdy in the significant-other role. The only real snags are the bland lyrics you find on "Open Book" ("So come on baby won't you read me"). For the most part, this is a pained heart searching for peace. On "Do Not Hang Your Head," Ziman tells a potential paramour that she'll likely do to him what's been done to her but asks him to please forgive and "bring me home again."
