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Track Listings
| 1. Moi Et Mon Camion (The Eviction Song) |
| 2. Call Me |
| 3. Shun (Sad Eyed Days) |
| 4. Malcolm |
| 5. Silver Moon Ladders |
| 6. Presume Too Much |
| 7. Lucky Adam |
| 8. Cover Me |
| 9. No Bells Left To Chime |
| 10. The First And Last Waltz |
Product Description
5/5 The Independent
"displays the kind of talent that pop award judges shouldn't be allowed to ignore"
- Album of the week
- Album of the week
4/5 MOJO
"bedding down with ember-glowing arrangements"
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Merz's singular vocals - pitched somewhere between Bob Dylan and Horace Andy (to my ears anyway) - first surfaced in 1999 with his eponymous debut album and a couple of memorable singles that got a lot of airplay on Radio One and the likes. A mix of (sometimes baroque) folk, hip-hop and drum and bass breaks, and lushly orchestrated pop, it was a very Bristolian take on nineties indie augmented by generous helpings of electronica. Whereas now only the brilliant `Engine Heart' and funky `Lovely Daughter' truly stand out from that record, the feeling is that Merz - with his knack for melody and cross-over appeal - could have been much bigger. In fact he went on a prolonged haitus, resurfacing with a well-received sophomore effort `Loveheart' (that I haven't heard) in 2005.
`Moi and Mon Camion` finds Merz - aka Conrad Lambert - evicted from his home and on the road, opening with the literal (or simulated) sound of the eponymous removal van driving away. The title track that follows is a beautiful piece of Dylan-esque folk, albeit relocated to urban Britain, embellished with some subtle electronics. While Merz's lyrical abilities don't really compare to Dylan's, his croakily nasal vocals are still powefully emotive - better still that he is less acrobatic with them than on his debut. `Call Me' continues in this vein but suffers a little when Lambert over-emotes some particularly prosaic lyrics: "Don't hang your head so low, help me share your load".
`Shun (Sad Eyed Days)' is further leftfield, leaving the folk atmospherics behind for burbling electro - marred slightly at the end by some spectacularly retro synths ugly enough to make Hot Chip blush. This is followed by two more experimental passages but Merz is stronger at image-rich romanticsm (the otherworldly `Silver Moon Ladders') than fey melancholy (the ponderous baroque of `Malcolm').
`Presume Too Much' has the radio-friendly hooks but is a veers a little to close to the middle of the road for my liking. Better is the jaunty `Lucky Adam', an infectious and propulsive folk-pop track. Thereafter Moi and Mon Camion returns to the folksy pastoral textures with (on `Cover Me') a twist of Nick Drake for good measure. While `No Bells Left To Chime' is whimsical and rudderless, Merz transforms into a folk troubador in the mold of Tim Buckley for the final, timeless `The First And Last Waltz'. Despite some false steps, fans of Feist, Bon Iver, Micah P Hinson and aforementioned folk luminaries may find something to like here.
`Moi and Mon Camion` finds Merz - aka Conrad Lambert - evicted from his home and on the road, opening with the literal (or simulated) sound of the eponymous removal van driving away. The title track that follows is a beautiful piece of Dylan-esque folk, albeit relocated to urban Britain, embellished with some subtle electronics. While Merz's lyrical abilities don't really compare to Dylan's, his croakily nasal vocals are still powefully emotive - better still that he is less acrobatic with them than on his debut. `Call Me' continues in this vein but suffers a little when Lambert over-emotes some particularly prosaic lyrics: "Don't hang your head so low, help me share your load".
`Shun (Sad Eyed Days)' is further leftfield, leaving the folk atmospherics behind for burbling electro - marred slightly at the end by some spectacularly retro synths ugly enough to make Hot Chip blush. This is followed by two more experimental passages but Merz is stronger at image-rich romanticsm (the otherworldly `Silver Moon Ladders') than fey melancholy (the ponderous baroque of `Malcolm').
`Presume Too Much' has the radio-friendly hooks but is a veers a little to close to the middle of the road for my liking. Better is the jaunty `Lucky Adam', an infectious and propulsive folk-pop track. Thereafter Moi and Mon Camion returns to the folksy pastoral textures with (on `Cover Me') a twist of Nick Drake for good measure. While `No Bells Left To Chime' is whimsical and rudderless, Merz transforms into a folk troubador in the mold of Tim Buckley for the final, timeless `The First And Last Waltz'. Despite some false steps, fans of Feist, Bon Iver, Micah P Hinson and aforementioned folk luminaries may find something to like here.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This new album from Merz is musical Heaven, beautifully crafted, special songs with imaginative lyrics and entrancing accompaniments. Merz's voice reaches new heights this album is truly magical.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
AFTER A SPARKLING DEBUT "MERZ" AND AN EXCELLENT FOLLOW UP,"LOVEHEART",CONRAD LAMBERT AKA MERZ HAS FINALLY RELEASED HIS THIRD ALBUM.
THE TITLE TRACK,"MOI ET MON CAMION",OPENS UP WITH THE SOUND OF A REMOVAL VAN AS MERZ FINDS HIMSELF EVICTED AND ON THE ROAD.THIS WELL WRITTEN AND TUNEFUL MELODY SETS THE TONE FOR THE REST OF THE ALBUM.
MERZ HAS ALWAYS HAD THE KNACK OF USING A BROAD CANVAS TO SET THE SCENE AND NEVER BEING AFRAID TO FUSE DIFFERENT GENRES OF MUSIC TO GET HIS POINT ACROSS.WHILST NOT HAVING THE MOST POWERFUL VOICE , THIS IS USED AS AN ADVANTAGE ,AS IT SOMEHOW FITS THE MOOD OF THE MUSIC PERFECTLY.
MY PERSONAL FAVOURITE SONGS ON THE ALBUM ARE "LUCKY ADAM" AND "PRESUME TOO MUCH" BUT THERE ISN'T REALLY A WEAK TRACK.ANY ARTIST THAT DESCRIBES THE SKY AS "TUPPERWARE GREY" AS IN "NO BELLS LEFT TO CHIME" MUST HAVE A VIVID IMAGINATION.
3 ALBUMS IN 12 YEARS IS HARDLY PROLIFIC BUT SOMETIMES QUALITY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN QUANTITY.THIS IS AN ALBUM WELL-WORTH BUYING.
THE TITLE TRACK,"MOI ET MON CAMION",OPENS UP WITH THE SOUND OF A REMOVAL VAN AS MERZ FINDS HIMSELF EVICTED AND ON THE ROAD.THIS WELL WRITTEN AND TUNEFUL MELODY SETS THE TONE FOR THE REST OF THE ALBUM.
MERZ HAS ALWAYS HAD THE KNACK OF USING A BROAD CANVAS TO SET THE SCENE AND NEVER BEING AFRAID TO FUSE DIFFERENT GENRES OF MUSIC TO GET HIS POINT ACROSS.WHILST NOT HAVING THE MOST POWERFUL VOICE , THIS IS USED AS AN ADVANTAGE ,AS IT SOMEHOW FITS THE MOOD OF THE MUSIC PERFECTLY.
MY PERSONAL FAVOURITE SONGS ON THE ALBUM ARE "LUCKY ADAM" AND "PRESUME TOO MUCH" BUT THERE ISN'T REALLY A WEAK TRACK.ANY ARTIST THAT DESCRIBES THE SKY AS "TUPPERWARE GREY" AS IN "NO BELLS LEFT TO CHIME" MUST HAVE A VIVID IMAGINATION.
3 ALBUMS IN 12 YEARS IS HARDLY PROLIFIC BUT SOMETIMES QUALITY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN QUANTITY.THIS IS AN ALBUM WELL-WORTH BUYING.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A Modern Miracle
Listening to music for nearly fifty years now, and being drawn for the last 40 to acoustic music, to quietly emotional music particularly, one gives up hope of finding, via a... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Alice Cribbins
a rootless but hopeful album
Merz was the next big thing that never was, when he delivered his Bristolian riot of an eponymous debut in 1999. Read more
Published on 5 Jun 2008 by Jeremy Williams
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