Army of Lovers
Glory, Glamour and Gold

The Importance Of Being Alexander Bard, part 1: "Behold United Nations, come hear my prophecy, destroy civilisation, come join the mutiny, the gods of earth and heaven, the rich and infamous, the world implodes forever, collapse the universe".

And finally, the last act, a great epilogue for Alexander Bard's first and most memorable project, capable of producing the most extravagant, sumptuous, visionary eurodance, and also the most cultured ever; excluding a long tail of singles, collections, and extemporaneous reunions that continues to this day like an endless soap opera, "Glory, Glamour And Gold" from 1994 is the last act of the Army Of Lovers. The end was now imminent, the previous "The Gods Of Earth And Heaven" had set an artistic and creative level that was difficult to achieve, but Alexander Bard still managed to put together another outstanding album, equally inspired in both music and lyrics. Compared to its bombastic predecessor, GG&G takes a step back regarding grandeur pretensions; no more recited interludes or sui generis experiments like "Heterosexuality" and "Sons Of Lucy," even the pseudo-gothic/orchestral component is downsized, but ideas and eccentricities are not lacking in this swan song either. "Life is fantastic, the beauty and sorrow, death is too drastic I can't say goodbye, golden or plastic the joys of tomorrow, life is fantastic I don't want to die", "Life Is Fantastic", is in many ways the symbolic song of the album, of a new, more markedly electronic course, more club-oriented and remixable; the lyrics are among the best ever written by Alexander, the rhythm is as always majestic and captivating, the atmosphere intense to the right point, and Dominika and Michaela interpret it perfectly, proving to be not only top-notch pin-ups but also competent and charismatic vocalists, much more certainly than some talentless individuals plucked from the streets who dominate nowadays. "Lit De Parade" and "Stand Up For Myself" enrich this disco vein with the vocal contribution of the faithful Jean-Pierre Barda, the soul and glue of AOL, also a great protagonist in the narcissistic self-citation of "Shine Like A Star", which is to say their first great hit "Crucified" re-proposed with new lyrics and a more streamlined and danceable arrangement, in my opinion even more effective and enjoyable than the original.

Even though it's not on the level of "The Gods Of Earth And Heaven," GG&G still manages to be an eclectic and surprising album, full of the most original and intriguing ideas from AOL, like the improbable and perfectly successful gothic-reggae concoction of "Like A Virgin Sacrified", which thankfully has nothing in common with another song of a similar title, or the brazen crassness with attitude and the desecrating sarcasm of "Mr. Battyman", with Michaela Dornonville in Olympic form. There are no lacks of grandiose and visionary tones, suffice it to think of "Hurrah Hurrah Apocalypse", which opens the dance between trumpet blasts, special effects, and assorted delusions, announcing in grand style the most kitsch and hedonistic apocalypse ever, or the long and stretched "You Come A Long Way Baby", a super orchestrated and effected mystic-sensual new age vision that aims to be a celebration of femininity with biblical and mythological tones, "She crowned herself the goddess Eve, female art of make believe, cream of cream of DNA, she went to work on the seventh day. Garden robbed by Adam's rib, her action started women's lib, the chromosomes of double X, superior, the perfect sex. Trust behind a closed remark, queendom of the matriarch, seaweed fashion Aphrodite, heiress of Olympic heights, Khali in an evening gown, volare at the speed of sound, heart of gold, a heart of stone, a shining high-tech amazon".

One could very well be satisfied with the elegant and subtle electro-lounge with a vintage aftertaste of "C'est Demon" in all its hedonistic opulence, or dance with the decapitated Marie Antoinette to the robotic and extravagant rhythms of "Ballrooms Of Versailles"; even in this case, the Army Of Lovers has a little something for all tastes, and "Glory, Glamour And Gold" once again reiterates the genius and creative talent of this project and its creator. Not only image but also content, originality, irony, and truly unique charisma which, however, partly due to the extreme characterization of the offer and also somewhat due to the lack of that media circus that allows various Lady Gagas and Kylie Minogues to stay afloat with their depressing and swooning sycophancies, was unfortunately not destined to last long. Perhaps a glimmer is in sight, the more or less recycled but still excellent new tracks from the recent umpteenth best of "Big Battle Of Egos" (2013) as well as "cross collaborations" with Gravitonas, Alexander Bard's latest project, suggest that a true return is not entirely excluded; could it be the right time for the second coming?