The sleeve says it all. Picture the scene: the glamourous girl reclines by the pool with a glass of champagne, while the two besuited, shades-wearing gents discuss business. It's all a normal (if slightly sinister) enough scene of affluence until you fold out the sleeve and the full horror of the situation slaps you around the face when you see the dead body floating face down in the pool. Whoa! I'll bet Michael Barriemore will give this album a wide berth!
The rest of us, though, should dive in regardless as "Passionoia", BLACK BOX RECORDER'S third (and arguably best) album is further proof - if any were really needed at this stage - that Luke Haines and John Moore are one of the best UK songwriting teams for many a year, and absolute perfectionists where the iron fist/ velvet glove technique is concerned.
Musically, "Passionoia" may shake a few people up. Haines himself recently admitted that (apart from maybe his solo "Oliver Twist Manifesto" excursion) it's his "least organic" record, and those (like me) who've lapped up the bleak, sparse, Anglo-guitar pop of "England Made Me" and the funkier, but still obviously recognisable "Facts Of Life" may be a little disconcerted initially by the prevalent synths and electro soundscapes. There are two more traditional BBR guitar songs ("British Racing Green" and the closing "I Ran All The Way Home"), both of which are beauties, but these are in the minority.
Give these songs a chance to seep in, though, and you soon realie just how effective they are. Artifice and celebrity are (surprise, surprise..) the key themes here, and by now Haines and Moore have honed their art to dissect their subjects with the accuracy of highly-skilled pathologists.
|
Of course, I've not mentioned BBR's key third member, vocalist Sarah Nixey yet, but she really comes into her own here. Indeed, songs like "These Are The Things", the deliciously sardonic, cheerleader-friendly "The School Song" and "Girls Guide For The Modern Diva" are utterly tailor made for her delectable, Cheltenham Ladies' voice.
If anything, however, "The New Diana" and "Andrew Ridgley" are even better. It's hard to imagine anyone with better credentials than Haines and Moore to have a pop at the deceased 'Queen of Hearts,' but in reality "The New Diana" isn't such a poisonous diatribe. It's a pretty, minimal thing, during which Nixey coos: "Where is the replacement for the World's front cover?" Fair question, actually. "Andrew Ridgley", meanwhile, is hilarious, but with a typical sting in the tail. I won't spoil it for you, but let's just say that it's a lovely pastiche/ tribute (delete as you see fit) to one of the World's least talented popsters. Ever.
Haines, Moore and the bewitching Nixey have always been a chillingly attractive proposition, but now aligned with a shinily subversive commercial sheen, "Passionoia" tastes like a particularly intoxicating (molotov) cocktail for the soul. By all means quaff heartily, but remember to turn down their cordial invitation for a few lengths of the pool.
|
