Montys Loco - "Man Overboard" [NONS -2006

The two women that are hiding behind the name Montys Loco have been playing music for over 10 years together. Accordingly to themselves Björn Yttling, who is the producer of these 10 songs, has shown them a new pathway to walk on. And the walk they walk is good. Really good.

The music that gets delivered by these two ladies is small pop songs with big words. It’s smart, funny and at the same time so distinct and honest with a sexy edge to it that makes you want to dance your ass off occasionally.

On “Man Overboard” Anja Bigrells voice sound harsh and elegant at the same time. It reminds me of Anna Ternheim and Karin Dreijer mixed with Victoria Bergsman from The Concretes, at the same time. The spacious keyboard and organ sounds mixed together with the earthly touch of an acoustic guitar creates a Phil Spector vibe that is hard to not like.

It’s a record that at first comes off as nothing special, but just as a seed takes its time to blossom into a wild colourful lovely flower.

“Try to push it” will easily be on my top 10 list of the best songs of 2006.

Listen to some songs from “Man Overboard”.

Beth Orton - Comfort of Strangers [ Emi - 2006]

On the four year old ”Daybreaker” Beth Orton was exploring her own music together with William Orbit, Ben Watt, Johnny Marr, The Chemical Brothers, Jim Keltner, Ryan Adams etc. The outcome was multi-directional, shattered and adventurous, in the same time so very good and appealing. I had felt that Beth Orton’s “Central Reservation” from 1999 was a bit too usual and easy to handle, still it had some really nice folk-pop songs. But it never offered me the satisfaction everyone else seemed to get.

When the first seconds starts ticking on “Comfort of Strangers, I am afraid that Beth has done what everyone except me wants her to do. On her side she has Jim O'Rourke and he’s production shines through in a blink of an eye. He has lifted Beth’s voice out from all that atmospheric echoes and such, placed the musicians in a room that sounds like its 5meters big at max and put a big thick blanket over the whole thing. It is so dry and lifeless from time to time that it simply sound like a demo recording.

Its 14 songs and at least half of them come through as a song written in 5 minutes without any real idea or purpose. I feel like "Comfort of Strangers" is “Central Reservation” part 2, but with less good songs and melodies. But the songs “Feral children” and “Safe in Your Arms” are two really good songs where Beth Orton sings with an intense voice and sincerity that is hard to not get touched by.

Listen to some songs from “Comfort of Strangers”.