It's not often that friends from grammar school become intertwined for life, but from the moment Mick Harvey met a boy named Nick Cave, he was destined to live a life in his shadow. Fortunately, being in that shadow didn't stop him from growing as an artist and eventually finding his own voice, but one wonders what his fate would have been if he hadn't met Cave in school: Would he ever even become a professional musician? Could he possibly have flowered as an artist of his own and eclipsed his former schoolmate? All the evidence shows he didn't lack in talent but he did lack ambition, seemingly content to be Cave's faithful sideman, beginning from the punk/new wave Boys Next Door to the explosive Birthday Party and the glorious ever-evolving supergroup that were The Bad Seeds. Although he ventured sometimes on his own (e.g. this CD), Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds were always his first priority - until 2010, that is, when his 36-year service in Cave's bands finally ended. "Pink Elephants" was the second instalment in Harvey's Serge Gainsbourg tribute project (after '95's "Intoxicated Man"). With the exception of the same-named orchestral piece that opens the album, all the rest are English-language versions of Gainsbourg's songs. Now, I have a compilation of Gainsbourg's songs and I have to admit I like Harvey's versions more. Firstly, the music of the originals is a hodgepodge of different styles (from orchestral pop to cod-reggae to funk), but Harvey's versions sound (unsurprisingly) like The Bad Seeds, his day job and one of the coolest bands in the world. His voice is also better, a baritone croon not unlike Cave's own. Thirdly, well-translated English lyrics allow those of us who aren't (yet) fluent in French to better appreciate the words. "Requiem Pour Un Con" becomes "Requiem" for a cunt, retains the funky drumming and benefits from organ fills, while "The Javanaise" is a faithful rendition of the romantic waltzy tune. "Black Seaweed", "Non Affair" and "Manon" are Bad Seeds-like piano ballads, while the lush arrangements of others ("Scenic Railway","The Ballad of Melody Nelson","Hotel Specific") remind me of Divine Comedy or Hardcore-era Pulp. "Comic Strip" is especially Pulp-ish, with sensuality and irony complementing each other as Harvey's vocals are interrupted by comical special effects. "The Ticket Puncher" is a particularly ironic song set to a galloping rhythm and "Anthracite" another one, complemented by organ and strings that belong to a 60s spy movie. "To All the Lucky Kids" is a ridiculously descriptive anti-drug song and the album's low point. "Torrey Canyon" and "Who is 'in' Who is 'Out'" pay homage to the originals' ye-ye origins, with their 60's garage rock organ and electric guitars. I saved "I Love You...Nor Do I" for last, with good reason. It's a cover of Gainsbourg's best known song, the scandalous "Je T'aime Moi Non Plus" that had Brigitte Bardot delivering orgasmic moans among erotic mumblings by Gainsbourg. Harvey has another former couple assuming that role, Nick Cave and Anita Lane. Nick Cave sounds very sombre and dark, rather than lusty and Anita's moans speak of suffering as much as desire. Some subtle lyrical changes shift the focus of the song from graphic sex to musings over the hopelessness of physical love. The orchestral backing is sublime as ever and the song proves itself to be more than mere novelty. Tribute albums are usually either too reverential or damage the songs in their effort to find a new angle. This one is a rare exception that does justice to the songs and even on occasion improves on the original versions. An album highly recommended for fans of Serge Gainsbourg, Nick Cave, Pulp, Belle and Sebastian and orchestral indie pop in general...
**** for Comic Strip, The Ticket Puncher (Le Poinçonneur Des Lilas), I Love You...Nor Do I (Je t'aime... moi non plus), The Ballad of Melody Nelson (La Ballade de Melody Nelson)
*** for Pink Elephants, Requiem (Requiem Pour Un Con), The Javanaise (La Javanaise), Black Seaweed (Les Goémons), Non Affair (L'Anamour), Scenic Railway, Anthracite (L'Anthracite), Manon, Torrey Canyon, Who is 'in' Who is 'Out' (Qui Est 'In' Qui Est 'Out' ), Hotel Specific (L'Hôtel Particulier)
** for To All the Lucky Kids (Aux Enfants De La Chance)
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