My Favorite - "Love at Absolute Zero"

Yep, updating with another post of dancing about architecture. Because I sometimes work night shifts and I've found the only thing that keeps me from falling asleep is listening to music.



Anyway, "Love At Absolute Zero" - I should've written something about this album and this group a long time ago. Such a lovely, little known band that released their debut album in 1999. And in the words of Allmusic journalists, it was "quite simply the best album of 1983, delivered 16 years after the fact". The description would be fitting except the music, despite being steeped in years past (and it can beheard, but wonderfully so), is quite a bit more modern, the usual and expected influences notwithstanding. And My Favorite deserve some recognition.

I first looked for something of theirs back when I just had to get my hands on Working Class Jacket (for an obscure Marr & Morrissey reference, no less :D ). And was quietly enchanted by the simple, unpretentious retro pop the group played.

The band's got two vocalists: a man and a woman and they make good use of it: their voices nicely contrast. And even if the guy is not the best singer in the world, the girl's got a disarming and seemingly naive vocal manner so they fit together beautifully, as heard for example on Absolute Zero which is the first track.

The whole album has some strange melancholy to it. Adolescent romance, "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" and faint traces of Pet Shop Boys written all over the sound. It's quite endearing, really. There are very few weak songs, maybe only one or two, and the rest wins you with pretty melodies, shimmering guitars and cinematic storytelling.

Absolute Beginners Again begins with a heavy guitar riff, which is - ironically - the weakest part of the track and a totally unnecessary thing. Because at the heart of the song we've got a simple indie pop tune. Which is great.

The Truth About Lake Ronkonkama unfolds lazily into a chorus and fuzzy guitars and what sounds like pieces of dialogue from an old film or radio show.

Let's Stay Alive would fit right in a lineup for some indie disco from the early 90's along with the lyrics "in the impossible city the impossible popstar sings". Lovely bass there too.

And you could die for Modulate's guitar solo.

And Between Cafes is sleepy and has got some lovely saxophone and lyrics about a couple wandering through some town like "two filmless filmstars" and the boy saying he needs a diamond ring while his girl needs a speeding car. Where have I heard such twists before? :)

My favourite track is definitely Working Class Jacket, though. It has something of the atmosphere of films like "Pretty in Pink" and all the teenage kitchen drama stories of the 80's. Amazing in its seeming like a movie, really. And apart from all that, it's a great catchy tune.

And for finale You Belong With Us - slow and phantom-nostalgic.

End credits roll.

Don't mind me, just bookmarking

For future use and possible Smiths fest in one of the comms next year *shifty eyes*.

mikejoycedrums: Exactly 29 years ago today, The Smiths took to the stage at The Ritz in Manchester for our ever first gig. (4 Oct)

And because I've been neglecting DW account, 3 updates today. Is that too much?

Courtesy of this kind soul on Tumblr (and kind of in preparation for the 1st of November).

There's a film-noir-like story somewhere in those photos. There really is.