"I never really want to see you when the Sun is shining..."
After some ten years away Danish indie-rockers Moi Caprice have returned with a new single, an homage to a doomed character in Sergio Leone's classic Spaghetti WesternOnce Upon A Time In The West. Unlike Leone's epic, a gorgeous sprawling tale of greed, honour and revenge in the old west, Maureen is five minutes of tight synth, programmed percussion and breathy vocals. This ode to Maureen McBain, whose family's fate acts as a catalyst for an equally bloody chain of events, might not seem a likely topic for a song but Moi Caprice have previous form in taking inspiration from the big screen; the name of their debut album was also inspired by Leone's 1968 epic and their last long player, 2008's We Had Faces Then, both took its title from Sunset Boulevard and included a song paying tribute to Claudia Cardinale.
As a taster for the band's forthcoming fifth album Maureen bodes very well indeed, although we'll have to wait until the Autumn (at least) to hear what other magic the reformed line-up of Michael Møller, Casper Henning Hansen and David Brunsgaard, now joined by touring guitarist Jakob Funch and Fridolin Nordsø on bass (replacing Jakob Millung), have wrought in the studio.
The band haven't exactly been idle in the saddle in the intervening years, individually they've busied themselves as touring musicians or have embarked on solo projects, the most notable of which is Michael Møller's A Month of Unrequited Love. This daily release of love songs grew into a 31 track LP, Denmark's first crowd-funded vinyl release.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a fan of the band (I'd have to check Last.FM to find out just how many times I've listened to The Art of Kissing Properly, it's definitely in high double-figures though), I am therefore understandably chuffed that they're back in action. And if
you're wondering what the relevance of the harmonica at the end of the
music video is then, well, you'll just have to watch the film.
A short stroll from historic Fort Brockhurst, squirrelled away in an industrial estate, is Gosport's premier rehearsal and recording space Quay West Studio. Over the years the folks behind this fine enterprise have welcomed many musicians through its doors and, since becoming involved with the Wickham Festival, have booked bands across that shindig's stages. Portsmouth four-piece Nevermanhave both recorded at Quay Westand been booked by them, recently playing one of the studio's curated gigs at Saint John's Church. The band are due back at Quay West soon to record their next single, Spineless, but ahead of that being released I've given their current release a spin.
If you're a fan of melodic alt-rock, particularly that delivered by Scandinavian bands such as Moi Caprice or The Kissaway Trail, then Too Much Waste may well float your boat (or båd as they say in Denmark). The slightly affected vocal, with its faint warble, sings over shimmery guitars and reflects on how life might not run the way you expect it to. Admittedly, on first listen, the rhyming of the verses may grate with their reminders of Brian Molko's worst excesses, but all is forgiven when the wall of guitars and the melodic chorus hits.
For a band that were new to scene last year this bodes well for Neverman's future, and I look forward to hearing the next single, I just hope they kick that rhyming dictionary into touch.
If you want to catch Neverman live they'replaying The Edge of The Wedge on Saturday 20th April, supporting Chichester's Dutch Criminal Record, with advance tickets available now via the Wedgewood Rooms website.
My copy of Moi Caprice's latest album, The Art Of Kissing Properly, arrived the other day and has soon become one with my CD deck. It won't budge, it can't be moved, it just demands to be played over and over again.
Part of the reason for this is tracks like this one:
H'mm. They must be putting something in the water in Denmark.
