i
[NONESUCH; 2004]
the prolific and one time bedroom synth-pop composer stephen merrit returned in his most recognisable and revered guise this year with i; an album whose sequencing is arranged alphabetically and on which all the songs begin with the ninth letter of the alphabet. this novelty - the "concept" (an attribute which is more strictly adhered to on other maggies releases) - merely masks the fact that merrit has written a further 14 love songs to append his 1999 opus, on which his original intent was to compose a century's worth. apart from the pounding disco-downbeat of i thought you were my boyfriend, there is little that hints at merrit's lo-fi beginnings. instead, in its place, we find examples of his droll humour amongst delicate chamber-pop arrangements, expertly produced and ending with his most ambitious work yet, it's only time. when touring 69 love songs and playing a mini-residency at the sadly departed and sorely missed continental cafe just days before it closed, he pointed out that his was not the sole release comprising entirely love songs that year and cited melbourne's own nick cave as an example with his boatman's call record. and i can't help but feel this reluctant tourist was inspired, even competitive, in writing his album's closer - the most stark, eloquent, honest and charming paean to the timeless nature of love he has given voice to and, dare i say it, exceeding anything on his previous effort. i look forward to the next 17...
No comments:
Post a Comment