Top ten 2000 countdown continued
#4 Montgolfier Brothers: Seventeen Stars
I wrote the original version of this review in German for amazon.de. Let's hope that I won't have any copyright problems with them. It would be ridiculous anyway as they did not pay me.
When I heard Nick Drake for the first time, it was exactly the same as when first listening to this record: afterwards the world was somehow richer, deeper, more beautiful and sadder than before. It was the 100 second title pro celebrity standing around, which can be downloaded from the Poptones website. It tells a small history of a guy waiting for his girl-friend. While waiting he thinks about the reasons why she does not arrive in time: it could be that she confused the day or that all street names changed during the night (these blokes even have a sense of humour) or that she got stuck in a traffic jam. At the end when she arrives her kiss makes him forgive her immediately. The song is only orchestrated with some guitar and bass, the voice is a very pleasant baritone and well articulated with a slight Northern English accent. The Montgolfier Brothers have been compared to Durutti Column, this unsuccessful Factory band in the spirit and at the times of Joy Division. This is probably justified from the musical and geographical standpoint, both bands come from the area of Manchester, but the singing and songwriting of the Montgolfiers is a million times better.
With these songs you can hover in a hot-air balloon away from the terrible reality. The frequently used glockenspiel makes this dream music still more unreal, somehow like a far memory to the innocent days of the childhood. The gentleness, tenderness and ease of the singing and the instrumentation make this music so precious. The melodies are wonderfully melancholic, there is a certain touch of chamber music.
My absolute favourite titles are Even if my mind can't tell you and Une chanson du crépuscule. Every time I listen to the latter song and the sprechgesang begins a shiver runs down my spine, this music is too beautiful for this world. Alan McGee, the ex-boss of Creation and current boss of Poptones has discovered a jewel again. It would not surprise me if the title was inspired by Seventeen Seconds, the chef d'oeuvre of The Cure.