THE STRANGLERS
LA FOLIE (1981)
REMASTER
320 KBPS
La Folie is a welcome album in the Stranglers' oeuvre, mainly a collection of tight, punchy songs that often suggest the forthright approach of American new wave bands. With one exception, the songs are shorter and more pointed, harking back to the comparative conciseness of some of the tunes on the band's first two albums, Rattus Norvegicus and No More Heroes, though acidic lyrics still predominate. "Non-Stop" is a typical example, featuring a half-spoken vocal that suggests Lou Reed, a Cars-influenced organ sound, and a bouncy, dance-derived drum beat; this particular song is atypical, however, because it employs a blues-oriented progression. An interesting excursion is encountered in the song "Golden Brown," a subdued, jazz-influenced number with purring vocals, a coolly executed synthesizer/harpsichord backing texture, and a periodically stumbling beat. Only the plushly understated title track suggests the sprawl typical of the group's immediately preceding releases. This fine album is well worth trying.
1. Non Stop
2. Everybody Loves You When You're Dead
3. Tramp
4. Let Me Introduce You To The Family
5. Ain't Nothin' To It
6. The Man They Love To Hate
7. Pin Up
8. It Only Takes Two To Tango
9. Golden Brown
10. How To Find True Love And Happiness In The Present Day
11. La Folie
Bonus tracks
12. Cruel Garden
13. Cocktail Nubiles
14. Vietnamerica
15. Love 30
16. You Hold The Key To My Love In Your Hands
17. Strange Little Girl
2. Everybody Loves You When You're Dead
3. Tramp
4. Let Me Introduce You To The Family
5. Ain't Nothin' To It
6. The Man They Love To Hate
7. Pin Up
8. It Only Takes Two To Tango
9. Golden Brown
10. How To Find True Love And Happiness In The Present Day
11. La Folie
Bonus tracks
12. Cruel Garden
13. Cocktail Nubiles
14. Vietnamerica
15. Love 30
16. You Hold The Key To My Love In Your Hands
17. Strange Little Girl
2 comments:
nice review. I liked it better when I read it at allmusic.com, though. you should try crediting the writers you steal from.
Did you honestly think I had time to write 5 reviews a day? O_O
And, no, I won't be crediting my sources. Don't care if you thing that's stealing, I just see it as informing the visitors of this very blog. Trust me, those reviews are carefully chosen to represent my opinion of the albums and somtimes edited to fit it better. And, of course, sometimes I write it myself.
However, if you're unhappy with the way I do things here, you're free not to visit New Moodswings anymore.
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