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Rating: I have been listening to this record for days, which a friend copied for me and handed to me saying: "You'll like this!" Knowing his tastes (Pulp, Suede, Placebo), well, I was a bit taken aback, but my friend was snickering... So the curiosity took off right away. Already from the cover. Who are those two? The turned-up collar, the slightly drunken winking look, the bristly, wolverine-like hair on the cheeks. And the other one? Who looks like a bad copy of Alice Cooper? They're called Relaxed Muscle, and they've titled this debut work, released by Rough Trade, A HEAVY NIGHT WITH…. An enticing title.
I immediately wanted to get to know these two. One is named Darren Spooner and the other Jason Buckle. For a week now we've been forming a really bizarre friendship. Bizarre, I tell you, because they are two, and here I am, alone and defenseless! And they make me dance, dance, dance... gasp!
Now out of breath, I find myself here at the keyboard telling you about the adventures with which Relaxed Muscle has blown me away. Let's start with the name. Relaxed? Not at all, tremendously exciting, and "on point." A sexy and smooth-talking record. Hard-hitting electroclash. Cinematic rock'n'roll. And lycanthropic. Nocturnal. Drunk. Groovy. Virile.
The start, The Heavy, is a minimal and engaging electric techno-clash. The drunken, masculine, groovy, linear voice is anything but relaxed, with a chilling finale. Let it ride follows: an invitation, I'd say explicit, to a threesome party. I am already on board ("So let it ride, let it ride, all night long…")... but before the party, let's take a tour through the woods with Beatmaster. An alluring tour, with those wolves howling at the moon in the background, and the clap-hand setting the beat for this skewed rock'n'roll...
So I'm really in bad company! I'm starting to worry. This is a mystery I’m facing. But I don't let myself be intimidated, and I play along. And it's worth it. Next comes Billy Jack, cartoons and shots in the air, then the catchy electric beat of Rod of iron and Tuff it out. The party reaches its peak with Sexualized, and with the title I've already told you everything. It's the "over" moment, where one loses their mind, the most badass. No wonder this is the single promoting the album. With Muscle music you then get to the heart of it, I thought I'd take a breather, but no, instead: "Muscle music, and you know what I meaaan… popmt it up, youwwwww…". I'll stop here with describing the lyrics, it's better… calm returns with B-real, meaning melody and post-coital harmony. The climax is coming down. Now come the caresses. A little lamb after the assault needs to be soothed, right? Then here is a slow one, Previous, with a slide and a blues-western feeling with reverb. It ends with Battered, a languid and sweetly ambiguous space-pop, and the finale Mary, an unexpected and poignant track that starts with an acoustic guitar-vocal... even werewolves have a heart!
But why was my friend smirking under his non-existent mustache? The mystery is revealed. Behind the pseudonym Darren Spooner is Jarvis Cocker, the frontman of Pulp (a band I've never liked) who with this project reveals his lycanthropic soul and love for Suicide, Sisters of Mercy, Cramps, Peter Murphy, and Nick Cave. Well done, Jarvis, I prefer you like this. Richard Hawley of the legendary Add N To (X) (a band I adore) also collaborated on this record, which explains the rhythms and sound. Unmissable!
Dedicated to all werewolves in search of a little lamb eager to play and dance. But don’t hurt yourselves; the lambs have gotten clever!
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