Night of Joy indeed
Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends and Strangers, a dream of mine was realized last Thursday night. No, I did not become a dashing and incredibly lethal member of the British Secret Service – I’m talking about that other dream. Yes, that is correct: Thursday night was the Halloween edition of Lucha Va Voom, and for the first time, I was able to meet, live and in person, those incredible luchadoras, the Poubelle Twins.
More on that later. But first, an album review that is directly related to the fantastic events described above.
Sometimes I seek out certain albums because I am as intrigued by the personality of the artist as I am by their music. Such is the case with Suki Tawdry.
The way I see it, there are people who lead interesting lives; there are people with multiple talents; and then there’s Barbara Ann Duffy. Barbara is the vocalist and lyricist of Suki Tawdry. She also has another career as a luchadora, under the nom de guerre “Bibi Poubelle” – AKA one half of the Poubelle Twins (her sister Vera is the equally dangerous Fifi Poubelle). I provided a tiny bit of background when I last wrote about the Poubelle Twins, but for the whole story of their current activities and very intriguing history, definitely check out their website, www.deuxfilles.net (or click on the link to it up there in the first paragraph).
Before I ever listened to Night of Joy, the full-length CD from Suki Tawdry, I had a pretty good idea of what it might sound like, and it turned out I was not far off. As a musical project, Suki Tawdry just seems like a fitting extension of the personality of the singer. If Wednesday Addams ever were to start a band, it would sound a lot like this.
The sound is straight-up Cabaret: I guarantee that if you ever found yourself wandering the streets of Paris or Berlin late one rainy, misty night, and were drawn to a smoky, nondescript club by the sound of a piano and a forlorn voice singing about the uncertainties of life and love, the music would be that of Suki Tawdry. Not literally, of course. (Although, who knows? Because, when you tried to find the club two days later, you couldn’t. Those dank-yet-magically-surreal European nightclubs always seem to disappear after you visit them.)
But if I must make the requisite musical comparison in order for this to be a legitimate album review, then the obvious choice is Portishead. Although they didn’t invent the sound, Portishead’s “Electronic Cabaret” music is certainly popular, and some tracks on Night of Joy are reminiscent of the British duo – most notably "Mais je vous aime", which I have added to the playlist. The song features those simple, retro-sounding guitar chords that might sound familiar to fans of Portishead, or Les Paul guitars in general. The lyrics are not in French, and I can prove it: I followed sparkling green (The color of her eyes) / She led me to her beautiful beautiful / Last night I inquired about her finger's size.
In fact, the lyrics throughout Night of Joy are the most fascinating aspect of the album. Most of the songs tell a particular, unique narrative, such as "Mr Flowers Visits Dreamland" (also added to the playlist), a tale of heartbreak and revenge set in a steamy Southern dancehall: Her eyes burned into his / As her hand flickered over blurred tatoos / Seeing them in her memories blurred long ago through tears of youth.
And then there's "Booze Blues", a tale of a woman relying on pure love to sustain her marriage to an alcoholic: Your booze blues gonna carry me to my grave / I suppose in the big scheme, it's OK. It's a truly bittersweet song, with a genuine-ness that is rarely achieved in modern music. Hell, pick any track on Night of Joy, and you'll find a story worth reading.
Which brings me to the only criticism I have about the album: The music. As I mentioned before, this is Cabaret, and the music is definitely true to its nature -- a little too true, which is the problem. I would have enjoyed at least a little more variety in the arrangement, and perhaps some more memorable melodies to go along with the stellar lyrics. Is there a way to make Cabaret music more melodic, without rejecting its purpose? I don't know, but I'd sure like to hear someone try. As it is, repeated listenings of Night of Joy only make it better. Like a fine brandy, you don't chug this album down; you've got to savor it with multiple smooth sips.
This album is populated with such an intriguing cast of characters, it's made me greedy for more. Here's hoping that a certain globetrotting singer/songwriter/wrestler/adventurer soon provides us with more stories to drink. Otherwise, I'll have to comb every smoky club on every dark side-street in Europe, until I hear that forlorn voice.
Liza -- NOT the Cabaret singer I was
looking for...
More on that later. But first, an album review that is directly related to the fantastic events described above.
Sometimes I seek out certain albums because I am as intrigued by the personality of the artist as I am by their music. Such is the case with Suki Tawdry.
The way I see it, there are people who lead interesting lives; there are people with multiple talents; and then there’s Barbara Ann Duffy. Barbara is the vocalist and lyricist of Suki Tawdry. She also has another career as a luchadora, under the nom de guerre “Bibi Poubelle” – AKA one half of the Poubelle Twins (her sister Vera is the equally dangerous Fifi Poubelle). I provided a tiny bit of background when I last wrote about the Poubelle Twins, but for the whole story of their current activities and very intriguing history, definitely check out their website, www.deuxfilles.net (or click on the link to it up there in the first paragraph).
Before I ever listened to Night of Joy, the full-length CD from Suki Tawdry, I had a pretty good idea of what it might sound like, and it turned out I was not far off. As a musical project, Suki Tawdry just seems like a fitting extension of the personality of the singer. If Wednesday Addams ever were to start a band, it would sound a lot like this.
The sound is straight-up Cabaret: I guarantee that if you ever found yourself wandering the streets of Paris or Berlin late one rainy, misty night, and were drawn to a smoky, nondescript club by the sound of a piano and a forlorn voice singing about the uncertainties of life and love, the music would be that of Suki Tawdry. Not literally, of course. (Although, who knows? Because, when you tried to find the club two days later, you couldn’t. Those dank-yet-magically-surreal European nightclubs always seem to disappear after you visit them.)
But if I must make the requisite musical comparison in order for this to be a legitimate album review, then the obvious choice is Portishead. Although they didn’t invent the sound, Portishead’s “Electronic Cabaret” music is certainly popular, and some tracks on Night of Joy are reminiscent of the British duo – most notably "Mais je vous aime", which I have added to the playlist. The song features those simple, retro-sounding guitar chords that might sound familiar to fans of Portishead, or Les Paul guitars in general. The lyrics are not in French, and I can prove it: I followed sparkling green (The color of her eyes) / She led me to her beautiful beautiful / Last night I inquired about her finger's size.
In fact, the lyrics throughout Night of Joy are the most fascinating aspect of the album. Most of the songs tell a particular, unique narrative, such as "Mr Flowers Visits Dreamland" (also added to the playlist), a tale of heartbreak and revenge set in a steamy Southern dancehall: Her eyes burned into his / As her hand flickered over blurred tatoos / Seeing them in her memories blurred long ago through tears of youth.
And then there's "Booze Blues", a tale of a woman relying on pure love to sustain her marriage to an alcoholic: Your booze blues gonna carry me to my grave / I suppose in the big scheme, it's OK. It's a truly bittersweet song, with a genuine-ness that is rarely achieved in modern music. Hell, pick any track on Night of Joy, and you'll find a story worth reading.
Which brings me to the only criticism I have about the album: The music. As I mentioned before, this is Cabaret, and the music is definitely true to its nature -- a little too true, which is the problem. I would have enjoyed at least a little more variety in the arrangement, and perhaps some more memorable melodies to go along with the stellar lyrics. Is there a way to make Cabaret music more melodic, without rejecting its purpose? I don't know, but I'd sure like to hear someone try. As it is, repeated listenings of Night of Joy only make it better. Like a fine brandy, you don't chug this album down; you've got to savor it with multiple smooth sips.
This album is populated with such an intriguing cast of characters, it's made me greedy for more. Here's hoping that a certain globetrotting singer/songwriter/wrestler/adventurer soon provides us with more stories to drink. Otherwise, I'll have to comb every smoky club on every dark side-street in Europe, until I hear that forlorn voice.
Liza -- NOT the Cabaret singer I was
looking for...
posted by Arhythmius at
9:55 PM
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