Augie March - "Addle Brains". This track comes to us via one of Said the Gramophone's fine, intrepid Australian correspondents, Tim. Augie March are a fivepiece from Melbourne, and this is a song which is careful and glowing - Glenn Richards sings like a man who knows what he means, who means what he sings. A piano leans back and stretches, a bass guitar counts the clouds, and David Williams' drums rattle from inside cabinets, on top of kitchen tables. While Richards lulls us, we're pulled slowly into the tragedy - it's everyday narcolepsy, the city's apathetic lullaby. Addle Brains mixes his powders with his fateful blues,
The lyrics fit into each-other like snug lids on biscuit tins, Badly Drawn Boy after reading The Dubliners (or Illywhacker!). Strange Bird was released in Oz in 2002, but makes its ways to American shores on September 14 - on SpinART.
and the wide-eyed bubs of the Parliament couldn't give a hoot, or even two.
All it takes, it takes, is a kind look and a word, a word,
Some pretty eyes and skin. From your fine family you were given to win,
and spill it over into the basin of common sin,
just a drop, a drop of the stuff that makes us kin.
Alizée - "Moi Lolita". And for those of you who prefer a catchy tune to soggy sincerity, kyree55 sent on this dazzling bit of dancepop, a European hit in 2002 that was recorded by a 15-year-old Alizée. It's a slick bolt of french pop vocals, lush stretches of Ace of Base synths and Jamelia strings, a chorus that's neat as a mint stick of gum (the piano's coming! it's coming! ok phew). As soon as I heard the bassline, I recognized it from another song - but couldn't identify the original. For a couple of days I was going completely crazy, downloading every late-90s pop single I could think of, desperately seeking that sounds-like call-back. And then I caved, collapsed, and literally asked Metafilter for help. In 121 minutes, the answer was mine: White Town's (excellent) "Your Woman" (of course!). And while they're not identical, the resemblance is enough that I've hopefully saved you all some trouble.
When I hear this song I want to do strange newfangled disco in a portuguese warehouse, with rainbow flashing lights and rainbow bubbles and - why not? - ten-foot-high rainbow wedding cakes. [buy]
Posted by Sean at July 19, 2004 12:06 AMThat's an exceedingly lovely description of the Augie March song you have there - it was worth sending it to you if only for that! I love those lyrics, the way they subtly see "a parliament of owls" as a metaphor rather than a collective noun. Does it surprise you one bit to know that Glenn Richards is doing a Masters in English literature?
Posted by tim byron at July 19, 2004 2:07 AMWell Alizee is the sorry side of French Music. I'm ashamed. A pedophile version of Ace of Base. Mostly the interest was in the video.
Posted by Matthew at July 19, 2004 4:38 AMI posted an Augie March song earlier this month, glad to see them catching on.
Posted by esco at July 19, 2004 4:52 AMJust like Matthew, so surprised to see Alizée here, which is a singer only in 8 year old girl's mind. I owe you my first laugh this week :).
Keep up surprising us !
From a french point of view it's surprising to see this Alizée song here, because of all the media buzz surrounding her (and yes, most of the time not related to music at all). This song isn't *that* bad though.
Posted by Aurélien at July 19, 2004 12:33 PMAll I know about Alizee is that some guy had a gif of her dancing as his avatar on a message board, and after being bombarded with requests for her name, he had to end up posting her name in his signature, just so people would leave him alone.
Posted by caley at July 19, 2004 1:06 PMOh, hataz, hataz! Alizee is the Rock. Only not, um, The Rock. That'd be weird.
Anyway, she's amazing. Lui ou Toi sounds like barbara streisland covering back the lispector cover of 'total eclipse of the heart', and Gourmandises is like this slightly worse version of Lolita only she WHISTLES THE HOOK and it is the greatest Pop Moment evah.
(cheers for excellent blog and mp3s!)
Posted by Greg at July 28, 2004 1:48 AM
and it will begin playing. All songs are also available to download: just right-click the link and choose 'Save as...'
