poptimists | (no subject)

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Two YSIs for yr pleasure. First is Wicked Wonderboys by Bertine Zetlitz. As far as I know this came out this year, but it is very retro, and feels like it could have been made any point between the end of 1979 and the start of 1990, if you see what I mean. It's breathy, gentle and nearly flawless, beautiful pop. This one came up while trawling for songs with ribbon in the title (my version of whatever Tom's hacking yr music taste thesis turns out to be). I was actually looking for 'She Wore a Yellow Ribbon', but ended up with -- amongst others -- A Smile and a Ribbon. Very upbeat, delightful and more than a little kitsch, Patience and Prudence (1956 one hit wonders, but not with this song, or so says Google) manage to sing this without the slightest trace of sauce, although in adult hands (lungs?) one might be tempted to imagine that it is a smile and a ribbon and NOTHING ELSE which she is wearing.

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Thankyou, I have just signed my work IT policy (uh oh) so no work DLs but I shall nab these tonight.

do! i just got the first one. poptimists is great, really.

nice write-up, too.

"Wicked Wonderboys" is off Bertine's excellent 2004 album "Rollerskating", and if you like that, you should probably also get "Broken", which I shall YSI in a bit, I think.

Yes I have the whole album on MP3 but haven't got very far with it. Have just looked out broken and it sounds fab, thanks! Reminds me a bit of the robyn ballads teh Lex hates, but I like!

That's a good comparison point, but none of Robyn's ballads (even "Bum Like You") come close to "Broken" or "If You Were Mine", whose country-ish hues I love as much as Bertine's absolutely bruised, resigned delivery. Refer to this post (http://brittlelemon.blogspot.com/2004_12_01_brittlelemon_archive.html#110301035717606649) (gasp, I'm linking to SOMEONE ELSE, here), which I think sums it up, especially the point about songs in the conditional. The last third of "Rollerskating" is basically just a huge stream of tears.

For the benefit of everyone else who doesn't know it:
Broken: http://s35.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0EWLIZ8TFJSX621WOE0RMDLYNC (http://s35.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0EWLIZ8TFJSX621WOE0RMDLYNC)

Also, "Twisted Little Star" off her previous album is a thing of absolutely sublime beauty (with a great video too, I once speculated Annie's Chewing Gum artwork was very similar to one scene in the video), even though "Girl Like You" gets more attention due to being a Richard X production. And THAT, I shall YSI as well, except I am going to bed so will leave it go while I am unconscious, etc.

Pardon, I just get very prone to proselytizing when Ms Zetlitz is the subject, she is amazing.

Yeah, I can see that BZ has something R does not -- in fact I am totally feeling this album for the first time, so I shall definitely have to track some more of her work down!!

Twisted Little Star (http://s35.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=20M6SS0GHE5262J4MMICZUFSKV)

other Patience and Prudence hits = Tonight You Belong to Me and Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now = not 'one hit" wonders!

Was the Bertine album released anywhere this year? It'll probably be in my Stylus end of year list if so.

Patience and Prudence's 'Tonight you belong to me' is the song that Steve Martin sings to Bernadette Peters in 'The Jerk'!

NB: Bertina reminds me a bit of Frida-from-ABBA, particularly on her first solo album, 'Something going on', and, more particularly, on the Byron Ferry-composed "The way you do" (which I intended to YSI, but has mysteriously vanished from my iTunes).

Yes! Excellent comparison. There's some songs on the album that are *so* late ABBA, when their backing became more synthetic, and their vocal deliveries ever so desolate (ie the ABBA I *heart* most).

I take it everyone here is well acquainted with the two more upbeat 'hits' from the Bertine album ("Ah Ah" and "Fake your Beauty")? If not, I will YSI asap.

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