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| This isn't just a bloody great compilation; it's a sophisticated
compilation, too.
Matthew Jacobson's Le Grand Magistery label has a roster loaded with acts
that make
life worth living -- from the skewed elegance of Momus to the percolating
loungepop of Louis
Philippe, the langorous balladry of Mr. Wright to the jangly self-effacing
pop of Shoestrings.
Interspersed with tracks from these worthies are some rarer prizes -- Comet
Gain's singular
"Pinstriped Rebel", for instance, and Laila France's entrancing "David
Hamilton". Trust me,
the snap-crackle-pop faux jukebox grooviness of Mke Sheldon's "The Girl
That Made Me Cry"
could easily be the high point of your week, and any opportunity to hear
Ninian Hawick
(in this case, "The Pop-Up Man") should be taken post-haste and guarded
jealously. Just
pop All Done With Mirrors in the player and an almost-magical change
takes place:
suddenly you're thinking about fine wines and foreign films and
sophisticated, erudite people
want to be your friend. Okay, perhaps that's a mild exaggeration (I didn't
watch any foreign
films), but the bare minimum you'll gain is a collection of the sort of
effortless pop songs
that all but force critics to use words like "quintessential". Who can
afford to pass that up?
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