Margo
The Catnap
Peter I’m Flying / Tsk! Tsk!
French trio Margo’s debut album The Catnap has been on limited European release since 2001, but this marks its first widespread US release, through lovable indie label Tsk! Tsk! Records. Fans of Warp receptionist Mira Calix or Icelandic dream-poppers Mùm will have a clue about what to expect here. With half-whispered female vocals and kindly glitching rhythms, Margo’s dreamy songs are performed on live instruments alongside analogue electronic equipment, hinting at that half-disturbed, half-nostalgic feel of French electro-pop from the late ’90s.
The early half of the album contains its best moments, conjuring up vague images of a lush Kraftwerk (imagine that!) on songs like “La Baumette” and “Warm.” The latter half of the album suffers from a couple of underdeveloped compositions, giving the album a disinterested feel that sits uncomfortably next to the more carefully rendered parts on here. All that’s forgotten, however, when “Cloud’s Juice” pops up towards the end; an 8-minutes long, slowly unfolding piece of dreamy electro that shows Margo’s true essence, somewhere between sweet electro-pop and atmospheric slow-core. Hardly too original sounding, The Catnap is nevertheless well worth checking out for fans of dreamy, comforting glitch-pop.
Tsk! Tsk! Records: http://www.tsktskrecords.com/
