All Done With Mirrors
A Le Grand Magistery Compilation
Le Grand Magistery
If we lived in Orwell’s 1984, and I needed to get some confessions from David Lee Beowulf but quick, this is what I’d use instead of rats in Room 101. Perhaps the best-known artist on Le Grand Magistery’s roster is Momus (and he’s not that well-known, sadly), but most of the music on the label, along with the guests invited for this compilation, keep in line with Momus’ intelligent and intimate style of British pop. Needless to say, listening to this album can feel like entering a time-warp to the mid-late ’80s, when soft alternative rockers like the Style Council and the Blow Monkeys… well, they didn’t rule the airwaves, but they certainly carved out their niche.
Notable on here are Momus’ live rendition of “The Homosexual” and Laila France’s “David Hamilton,” a paean to teenage soft porn that’s simultaneously disturbing and charming, highlighting France’s angelic voice, which sounds both older and younger than she probably is. Comet Gain and the Softies also put in good showings, though they’re not signed to the label. I’m sure fans of Momus (or any other band on Le Grand Magistery) will be entranced by anything and everything the label puts out, and will treasure this on their rainy days. Le Grand Magistery, P. O. Box 611, Bloomfield, MI 48303; magistery@aol.com
