Army Of Lovers
Les Greatest Hits

THE REVIEW

Unlikely alchemists capable of transforming camp into art, tightrope walkers able to float on a very thin wire without falling into the void of trash and kitsch; fun, explicit, gaudy and cunning; a bright meteor that burned out in a few years (and many hits) in a dazzling whirlwind of sequins and glitter, in three words: Army Of Lovers.

In the early '90s, the trend of the Mainstream Galactic Empire Music was to definitively leave behind the previous decade with all its flashy glitz; the explosion of the Nirvana phenomenon, skillfully piloted by MTV, is the most glaring demonstration, as well as the downfall of many bands and artists idolized to the limit until just a few years prior. Not that this was a bad thing, on the contrary, at least until today's revival, this phenomenon helped to rid us of numerous examples of pure sonic garbage (only to replace them with others of identical caliber, but that's another story), but even in the midst of the revolution, there were those who went against the tide, those who thought to extremize the kitsch aesthetics of the '80s for a more niche audience, achieving in turn overwhelming success: the Army Of Lovers, a highly-very-very camp version of ABBA, with whom they share the Swedish passport. The invention of a mustachioed and bewigged evil genius named Alexander Bard, accompanied by worthy companions like the almost-was drag queen Jean-Pierre Barda and the buxom and bursting top-model Camilla Henemark, La Camilla for friends, replaced by the blonde Michaela Dornonville and the brunette Dominika Peczynski only to triumphantly return; it's true that a good 50% of their success AOL owes to their extraordinary ability to build a strong image made of increasingly improbable costumes and hilarious dances, but one must not forget the musical proposal, which emerges from the pop-dance cauldron thanks to some characteristics that are practically unique in their genre, sounds that at times echo gothic atmospheres and lyrics often filled with biblical and religious references, thus creating a mix between frivolity and allusion, sacred and profane, which stands out for its originality as well as inherent quality.

In 1995, the year of "Les Greatest Hits" the career of Army Of Lovers is already beautifully over, explosive and fleeting like a firework; with the sole exception of Alexander, all other members of the group are practically out of the music world, except for occasional and sporadic reunions, and this collection definitively seals the essence of Army Of Lovers; first of all, Alex Bard knows his stuff, he can create pleasant, colorful, catchy and fun melodies, and he does it very well, just think of a formidable anthem to frivolity like "La Plage De Saint Tropez" which, especially for the vocal harmonies, seems to come directly from "Arrival" by the illustrious fellow Swedes ABBA, or the unreleased "Give My Life" which stands out for its fresh and fun summer sound, in whose videos our Guys and Gals perhaps reach the most hilarious peak of unrestrained gaudiness. The style that most profoundly characterized Army Of Lovers, however, is more than just the sheer frivolity of these episodes, that grand aura of "sacredness" that surrounds most of their most famous hits, starting with the first major battle horses, "Crucified" and "Supernatural" up to the irresistible and highly-contested "Israelism", for the series "certain people don't even know where to find self-irony at home", passing through slower episodes like the quasi-gothic "Judgment Day", hypnotic and accompanied by yet another masterpiece video clip, "My Army Of Lovers", a visionary collage of sensual images well evoked by the warm voice (in every sense) of La Camilla, pushing even further on the border between sacred and profane in "Requiem", a theatrical and dark hymn to a scantily clad and libertine Mother Goddess; Camillona also rages in "Everytime You Lie", accompanied by sampled gypsy violins and Latin rhythms. 

Of course, there are also more purely dance-oriented episodes, especially new tracks like the exhilarating "Venus And Mars" and the hot "King Midas", the latter unfortunately included only in the UK version of "Les Greatest Hits", here too the quality and savoir faire are certainly not lacking, just think of the hits "Obsession" and "Sexual Revolution" not forgetting lesser-known tracks like "Lit De Parade" or "Stand Up For Myself", which frivolous starlet of today would be able to propose such sounds with this taste? Kylie Minogue? Lady Gaga? Oh, come on! 

"Les Greatest Hits", the first of a long series of collections, ideally seals the entire brief yet dazzling career of Army Of Lovers registering once again record sales, more than four million copies; it is overall a good product, even though some jewels like "Say Goodbye To Babylon", "Carry My Urn To Ukraine", "Mr Battyman" and "The Ballad Of Marie Curie" remain fatally left out, but "Les Greatest Hits" nonetheless remains a most delightful bacchanal of musical entertainment in original and "alternative" form, the spirit of the Army Of Lovers is sincere, genuine and unfortunately seems impossible to replicate, so they too deserve a place in the Pantheon of Quality Pop; only one question remains: did this project still have something to say? Could there have been new possible evolutions for Army Of Lovers or is it better to remember them as they were, cleverly disappeared after reaching the peak of their splendor?