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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Anyone used to the dazzling synthesized trickery of Momus's more recent recordings will be surprised by this album. It depends mainly on the guitar, which Momus turns out to play beautifully, although he also subtly incorporates everything from saxophones to xylophones to build up his beguiling harmonies. Many of the songs make use of biblical characters. In "The Lesson of Sodom", for example, Momus offers the view that Lot's seduction by his daughters may not have been as one-sided as Genesis would have us believe, whilst "King Solomon's Song and Mine" is the complaint of a foreigner press-ganged into mining for the Man. However, the songs aren't just clever re-interpretations of old stories; there is warmth, wit and often confusing emotion running throughout this album. Perhaps the best example is "Little Lord Obedience", a very odd look at the time-honoured "sex and sailing" theme, where Momus seems to be lamenting the insufficiency of love to protect us from the harsh realities of life.
Having heard the album once, one feels compelled to stick it on again; one of the reasons for this is the way fascinating little tunes are brought in, but never allowed to resolve themselves, or develop into a whole song, as they might have done in the hands of a less productive composer. Apparently Momus, in all his early albums, was engaged in a search for "the chord that would break people's hearts". Whilst "Circus Maximus" won't leave you sobbing (unless you feel a great deal of sympathy for Lucretia), it will certainly achieve that hallmark of all great music - to make you homesick for somewhere you've never been, and never will go.
Having heard the album once, one feels compelled to stick it on again; one of the reasons for this is the way fascinating little tunes are brought in, but never allowed to resolve themselves, or develop into a whole song, as they might have done in the hands of a less productive composer. Apparently Momus, in all his early albums, was engaged in a search for "the chord that would break people's hearts". Whilst "Circus Maximus" won't leave you sobbing (unless you feel a great deal of sympathy for Lucretia), it will certainly achieve that hallmark of all great music - to make you homesick for somewhere you've never been, and never will go.
Format:Audio CD
Extraordinarily witty and erudite, Momus's Circus Maximus is a delight. Top drawer musicianship, witty erudite lyrics and Jacques Brel covers make this a must for serious music lovers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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2 reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Early perversions from the master
17 Sep 2000
Format:Audio CD
This album is not for everybody- if you don't want your music to provoke thought steer clear. The first song, for example, manages to bring together St. Sebastian, the Romans, Dante Alighieri and his lover Beatrice, the death of Lincoln, and e.e. cummings' poem "Buffalo Bill's Defunct" to bizarre dark comic effect. This is mostly acoustic, but unlike later albums the music here (to me) takes a back seat to the lyrics, twisted both conceptually and lyrically- in one song he sings of "the dock of the baby, the resort where strangers liaise, the port in every girl where the sailor obeys..." This is classic stuff from one of the most brilliantly provocative minds of the last few decades.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
My Favorite Momus
12 Jun 2005
Format:Audio CD
I have nearly every Momus CD to date and this is the standout favorite in my book. Smart and creative. If you are interested in Momus this one is a safe bet.
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