Entertainment For Lively Minds
John Grant and Brotherhood of Man
Yes it's another John Grant thread. Queen of Denmark is such a wonderful album; it's one of those where each day I have a new favourite that I have to keep playing (today it's Marz...)
But there's one thing that keeps on popping into my head when I listen to it: I can't help thinking that Silver Platter Club reminds me a little too much of Brotherhood of Man's 'Save all your kisses for me'. It's not a problem exactly, but whenever I enthusiastically play someone my latest find I've always got mental fingers crossed that they don't pick up on this too; I can't see it maintaining credibility (on a first listen at least) if they do.
I can't find a stream of Silver Platter Club, but here's BoM for your enjoyment. To make your own John Grant song, simply sing about not meeting parental expectations to the main melody...
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Brotherhood Of Man
Oh my God. Proustian rush. Two threads up.
Yeasayer and Julian Cope...
I have a similar thought popping in to my head when I play Yeasayer's O.N.E. which seems to remind me of Julian Cope - Beautiful Love...
'Save Your Kisses For Me'...
...reminds me of this:-
The J**z Cafe
So anyone else going tonight?
I wrote elsewhere
that John Grant's voice reminds me of Karen Carpenter, the same ability to infuse wistful melancholy into even the most happy of lyrics. For me it's why the The Carpenters' music stands up to close scrutiny: they may have been in the middle of the road but it's convention that put them there not their talents. In reading your post I've realised that Grant's songs also remind my of a number of acts with MOR leanings but who were saved from landfill by virtue of knowing how to write a hook-laden melody and by having something "different" about them. In the case of John Grant and The Carpenters it is the voice that transcends the supporting arrangement. There is something timeless about his voice and at the risk of sounding pretentious it is because his voice registers somewhere deep inside the psyche and demands a response beyond just the song. I feel compelled to provide my own narrative to Grant's singing, I can't just listen to it solely within the confines of the song or its lyrics.