The XX "XX" 2009****

I'm shocked to realize that XX's debut is now 15+ years old - to me, they are still a "new band" that I haven't yet gotten round to spend some time with. I remember XX garnering top reviews when it was released, and buying it 2nd hand a few years later; I listened to it a few times, mostly playing in the background while doing other stuff. It's that kind of music, pleasant but unobtrusive. I always intended to give it a more serious listen, but new arrivals kept pushing it back at the end of the line, until random selection put it back on top. Re-listening to it, this sounds to me as the epitome of "indie". I know that the label is very generic, meaning non-commercial bands recording for independent labels, but to me it's always meant understated melodic pop, usually accompanied by jangly guitars or -as in this case- low-key electronic beats. The beats and production come courtesy of Jamie Smith, while the rest of the band is comprised by Romy Madley Croft (vocals, guitar) and Oliver Sim (vocals, bass). The album opens with the imaginitively titled "Intro", a moody instrumental that sets the scene for the whole album. "VCR" is an atmospheric piece with a relaxed, conversational, vocal by Romy (mostly) and Oliver. The latter sings one verse and backup here; dual vocals being typical of The XX. "Crystalised" is slightly more upbeat, based on a repetitive -and very catchy- riff. It's followed by the equally poppy "Islands" - these would become the band's 1st and 3rd single, respectively. "Heart Skipped A Beat" continues in the same vein; the synergy between the two singers is mor evident than ever. "Fantasy" is a short morose piece, while "Shelter" is a ghostly ballad centered on a quavering vocal from Romy, and "Basic Space" another track released as single; the dual vocals and stripped-back instrumental shine once more. "Infinity" is a long, hypnotic, track, and "Night Time" a trip-hop piece reminiscent of Portishead - although Romy's singing is less emotional, almost nonchalant. "Stars", which closes the CD, is cut from the same cloth as the rest; this is a gorgeous album, but offers little variation.

**** for VCR, Crystalised, Islands, Basic Space, Night Time

*** for Intro, Heart Skipped a Beat, Infinity, Stars

** for Fantasy

Brigitte Fontaine "Est... Folle" 1968(orig.) 2025(reissue)*****

I had previously heard of Brigitte Fontaine, but was under the impression that she was just another French Chanson singer, like Dalida maybe, or Francoise Hardy. Then I read an article about this reissue which mentioned her as an avant-garde artist, someone in synch with the contemporary psychedelic scene. Apparently, her fans include Bjork as well as and members of Pulp, Stereolab, and Sonic Youth. Now these are some big endorsemenets, so I decided to check the album on Spotify, and was immediately hooked: the music is not as experimental as I expected (apparently, her subsequent work would be), sounding more lke a mix of chanson and acid folk. The orchestration (by Jean Claude Vannier, a Serge Gainsboug collaborator) is gorgeous but nuanced; not just beautiful, but also sometimes morose, others playful, even ironic. It reminded me of another favorite of mine from the same period, Tom Rapp's Pearls Before Swine - the similarities extending beyond the music also to the Hieronimus Bosch homage of the album cover - PBS used part of The Garden Of Earthly Delights triptych for their One Nation Underground LP cover, and a number of details from the same painting are incorporated here. At the time of this album's release, Fontaine was almost 30 years old, already accomplished as an actress and playwright; although it was the height of the yé-yé girls phenomenon, she refused to play along; there may be some similarities to Hardy at her more melancholic ("Il Pleut", "Une Fois Mais Pas Deux"), but more often she reminds me of Jacques Brel, especially on the more theatrical/cabaret-like numbers (e.g."Comme Rimbaud", "Je Suis Inadaptée"). Despite the relatively jaunty music, the lyrics are ironic and confrontational e.g. the former goes "I'm dirty, like Rimbaud/ Syphilitic, like Beaudelaire/ But maybe you don't like poetry, after all". She continues by trashing the luminaries of other art forms, and ends up with "I'm not a man, like Joan of Arc/But maybe you don't like women, after all". The latter song, meanwhile, confesses "But I can't help it/ I have to see the bad in everything/ I'm out of it, maladjusted." So yes, these are not your typical 60s yé-yé themes. It's way more interesting, provocative, and poetic. Thankfully, the bilingual insert contains the lyrics, both original and in the English translation. "Le Beau Cancer" and "L' Homme Objet" offer more sprightly Gallic jazz - if you liked the Amélie soundtrack, they will be right up your alley. "Il Se Passe Des Choses" and, especially, the melancholic "Dommage Que Tu Sois Mort" remind me of Nico circa Chelsea Girls - a likewise avant-garde female artist whose solo debut was also a compromise between their own experimental tendencies and a producer's idea of a romatic chanteuse. Not that that's a bad thing, mind you; in both cases the tasteful arrangements are among the best features of the respective LPs. "Il Se Passe Des Choses" is even darker, with a dramatic Marlen Detrich-esque vocal, and "Blanche Neige" is an experimental ballad, full of playful sonic touches and exotic sound effects. Somehow I was reminded of Siouxsie's side project, The Creatures. Which brings us to another experimental piece, "Eternelle". Probably my favorite track here, it's a rhythmic piece with quirky backing vocals. The album closes with "Cet Enfant Que Je T’Avais Fait" a duet with Jacques Higelin, a fine piece of orchestral pop; the similarites with Vannier's famous arrangments for Histoire de Melody Nelson are obvious. One of the perks of this latest reissue (apart from the crisp remastered sound, gatefold cover and glossy insert) is that it allows you to experience Vannier's orchestral work on its own, as the bonus LP contains instrumental versions of 7 of the tracks. We also get 8 demos, giving the songs a starker feel; they sound folkier, but definitively still weird. Lastly, we get a live version of "Il Pleut" from 1969. It's radically different; at 6 minutes it's more than twice as long as the studio version, bluesier and more improvisational, with a passionate vocal performance including a lot of wordless vocalizing. Her next album, which many consider to be her best, was a more experimental collaboration with the Art Ensemble of Chicago. She'd go on to produce other uncompromising records that sailed among pop, folk, electro and world music, which I aim to slowly get into. Brigitte Fontaine Est...Folle is, in any case, a great introduction; a highly idiosynchratic mesmerizing fusion of French chanson, orchestral pop and Velvet Underground-like 60s avante -garde. Best new album I've heard in months.

***** for Il Pleut, Le Bleu Cancer, Il Se Passe Des Choses, Une Fois Mais Pas Deux, Eternelle

**** for L' Homme Objet, Blanche Neige, Comme Rimbaud, Dommage Que Tu Sois Mort, Je Suis Inadaptée, Cet Enfant Que Je T'avais Fait

**** for all of Disc 2 (demos, orchestral, and live versions)

The Kinsey Report "Edge Of The City" 1987***

I recently came across this album on an internet piece called 10 forgotten blues rock albums from the 1980s that deserve another listen. And I thought... forgotten, yes, indeed, I really had forgotten I had it. And...does it? deserve another listen? Well, since I'm going to do it anyway, so why not present it on my blog? I'll start from the name: The Kinsey Report was a groundbreaking, taboo-busting scientific research on human sexual behavior - I learned about it, like many others I guess, when the biopic of the same-named scientist came out (featuring Liam Neeson, well worth watching I thought at the time). And it has absolutely nothing to do with this album, except that the 3/4 of the band are brothers Donald (guitar & vocals), Kenneth (bass), and Ralph (drums) Kinsey. Second guitarist Ron Prince is the fourth musketeer. Also, sex is one of the subjects negotiated here. But, of course it is; what popular music album isn't about sex, even a little bit? Fun fact: 97% of the thousands of subjects participating in Dr.Kinsey's research reported experiencing sexual thoughts and fantasies in their daily life. So, if you're writing songs, it's going to get in there. Of course relationships (especially broken ones) are a big subject matter for the blues, as are sexual innuedos e.g. "Back Door Man" (in this case an original composition, not the old Willie Dixon number). At least The Kinseys mix it up with social commentary e.g. on the funky "Poor Man's Relief" and atmospheric inner city blues "Full Moon On Main Street". Re-listening to this LP, I must admit that its good reputation is well deserved - and, at the same time, that it's not surprising that it's "forgotten". The reason being that it's way too similar to other (good) blues records from the same period that I have in my collection; e.g. the funky "I Can't Let You Go" reminds me of Robert Cray, while "Got To Pay Someday" kicks off with hard rock guitar a la Gary Moore; "Come To Me" and the upbeat "Give Me What I Want" are closer to the style of Stevie Ray Vaughan. There's also clean, B.B. King-like rhythm and blues ("Lucky Charm") and, of course, some "blue" blues, that is slow pieces with atmospheric guitar and smoky late-night vibes, like "Answering Machine", "The Game Of Love", and "Full Moon On Main Street". In any case, while the music isn't terribly original, it's very well played: Donald Kinsey (who had previously played with Bob Marley and Albert King) is a soulful vocalist and a talented guitarist, while the production retains a bit of raw authenticity - which wasn't a given in the 80's when even legends like B.B. King made boring generic pop-blues LPs burdened by overpolished and levelling production. Thankfully, Alligator Records managed to avoid the worst pitfalls; most of their albums that I have from that era (by Albert Collins, Koko Taylor, Johnny Winter, Lonnie Mack etc) are gritty electric blues. Edge Of The City is an, above average, example of that sound.

**** for Poor Man's Relief, Got To Pay Someday, Give Me What I Want, Full Moon On Main Street, Lucky Charm, Back Door Man

*** for I Can't Let You Go, Answering Machine, The Game Of Love, Come To Me