The Good …
Girls are two heterosexual men, lead singer Christopher Owens and JR White, and their fabulous debut album has the strangest backstory.
Owens grew up in the Children of God – a Jesus cult so extreme that it gives extreme cults a bad name. Its leader David Berg sent out women members to sell sex to win converts. Owens’s brother died of pneumonia at the age of 4 because the cult wouldn’t allow members to go to hospital. That’s when his father walked out. He stayed with his mother as they moved all over Europe, never going to regular schools, ending up in Slovenia.
Fast forward a few years, and Owens seems happy and relaxed, enjoying the Californian lifestyle which was denied him as a child. The album – simply entitled Album – has beguiled critics with its warmth, directness, simplicity and honesty. It has a lo-fi indie pop sound with hooks and melodies reminiscent of the 60s music which Owens loves. Standout track is the beautiful 7 minute long Hellhole Ratrace.
The Bad …
Mariah Carey’s Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel is the kind of album that many people will be happy owning – but not many will be ecstatic. And that’s its problem. Its laidback downtempo mood makes it easy background listening. But try to listen properly to the 17 tracks, and your attention will be wandering well before the hour long cd is through. With the minor exception of the single Obsessed – the latest foray in her long running feud with Eminem – there are few shafts of colour in a sea of beige. Although there are some mid tempo songs alongside the slow ballads, they’re produced in the same way, keeping to the same formula rather than trying to make each song sound different. Hey, it’s good to chill out to some downtempo soul now and again. But don’t sell yourself short. There are some much more creative and enjoyable R&B albums than this.
Buy Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel on Amazon
And the Outlandish …
Vitalic – Poison Lips (play video)
We wish we’d been at that meeting where the video director broke the news to the French mixmaster Vitalic.
“I’ve got a great idea for a video for Poison Lips, you’re going to love this.”
“What are you planning to do mon ami ? Have you found some sexy dancers ?”
“Well, no. Expressionless girls are going to wandering around in the neon lit urban night, smearing their faces with lipstick and marking their path with letter ‘V’s drawn in bright red lipstick.”
We don’t know whether Vitalic spilt his coffee at that point, but he should be pleased with the end result. It draws you in, you want to keep watching and see where it’s going. And it’s funny too.
