ENGLISH BELOW
Misophone en est à sa onzième année d’existence et a donc eu le temps d’amasser des centaines de chansons à destination des oreilles de bonne volonté et de bon goût. Reconnus un peu partout dans le monde, ils publient leurs albums sur le très réputé label suédois Kning disk (Anna von Hausswolff, Ebbot Lundberg, Small Feet…) le label japonais Lirico et en est à sa troisième production sur Another Record.
Lost at sea est donc le 9e album officiel de Misophone. Par le passé, on les a comparés à Tom Waits, Daniel Johnston, A Hawk And A Hacksaw ou Neutral Milk Hotel. Même si cet album évoque, à nouveau, l’atmosphère poussiéreuse et pétaradante de leurs précédents efforts, le mellotron de carousel et les paroles obliques touchent à une fibre de songwriting plus fine. Les albums précédents de Misophone sonnaient comme des 78 tours poussiéreux dégotés dans des greniers : celui-ci sonne comme une collision entre Nuggets psych, John Jacob Niles et un tribute band hongrois des Beatles.
Certaines des chansons sont hantées par des samples des années 50 et 60 faits maisons, dont les meilleurs sont recueillies par Phil Nohl sur The playdium. Ces curiosités instrumentales marchent comme des interludes au milieu des constructions pop rutilantes qui rendent cet album encore plus accessible.
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Misophone, now in their eleventh year together, have amassed hundreds of highly original songs for the ears of anyone willing and wise enough to lend them. Aside from the bounty of their self released collections, many albums have also been officially released on the acclaimed Swedish label Kning Disk (home to Anna von Hausswolff, Ebbot Lundberg, Small Feet etc) Japanese label Lirico and now, once more, on the wonderful French independent: Another Record.
With musical styles ranging from Victorian music hall, Americana and European folk, but harnessing an essence very much their own, they have continued to garner a cult of supporters around the world. Reliably reticent and still refusing to play live, their new album Lost at Sea has opened the doors to a new breadth of styles and influences. This may be there time to step out of the shadows.
Lost at Sea is Misophone’s 9th officially released album. In the past they have been compared to Tom Waits, Daniel Johnston, A Hawk And A Hacksaw and Neutral Milk Hotel, and this album still conjures the dusty crackling atmosphere of their previous releases. The carousel mellotron and oblique lyrics of the last handful of records are now bolstered by a finer crafted songwriting sensibility and (dare I say it) the occasional and magnificent electric guitar solo. Previous Misophone albums have sounded like some lost 78 found in attic gathering dust; this sounds like a collision of Nuggets psych, John Jacob Niles and a Hungarian Beatles tribute act; in short- absolutely god damn brilliant.
Some of the tunes are bolstered by strange home recorded samples from the 50s and 60s, the best of which collected by Phil Nohl at The Playdium (http://theplaydium.com/). These instrumental oddities act as curious interludes between the brilliant pop craft Misophone effortlessly display on this their most accessible album to date.
Lost at Sea also sees the return of regular collaborator Alone With King Kong, who adds robust trombone blasts to Broken Radio, their most Balkan influenced recording for some time.
With any Misophone album the key is to expect the unexpected- Lost at Sea does not disappoint. Take a little step into their world… and soon it will all make sense.
Misophone are:
S Herbert- Vocals, guitars, violin, ukulele, banjo, pianos, mellotron, zither, autoharp, midget accordion, melodica, music box, glockenspiel, xylophone, marimba, bells, miniature pump organ, chord organ, cuckoo, singing saw, Theremin, various percussion etc…
M.A. Welsh- Words, vocals, found sounds, & kitchenalia.