Customer Reviews

20 Vodka Jellies

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This is a must-have for any Momus fan, and a good place to begin for a newcomer to Momus material. This release reveals the esoteric,wide spectrum of musical styles of Nick Currie. Usually, he embraces a specific style of music for one album ("analog baroque", "futuristic vaudeville"). Twenty Vodka Jellies brings you many different genres in one cd. The songs penned for Kahimi Karie stand out among the best, but the rest of the cd is exemplary in that it gives us previously unreleased material. "Streetlamp Soliloquy", in particular, with its lush,easy listening groove, is followed by the gorgeous, naked "An Inflatable Doll". Your favorite song will likely change with each listen.

When a grown man - a Scot no less! They of fire and brimstone under their kilts - coos and purrs "I am a Kitten" to open his collection of assorted gems, one of two things happens: 1. The listener, if intelligent and progressive, recognizes the irony, wit, and artistry of such an oddball piece of music, and his or her Antannae d'Intrigue go up, alongside the volume. 2. The listener, if of impaired genetic structure and/or unmoved by things wondrous (think Motorhead fan), gags and wheezes upon hearing, and then proceeds to pump up the Stryper and settle nicely into the couch with the latest Hustler magazine and leg o' mutton. If you are lucky, the latter statement does NOT apply to you. If you are lucky, you too, can appreciate casio-wrought synth folk pop. You, too, can be a Momus aficionado. Momus, like wine, cheese, and face lifts, gets better with age. For only in the musical meddlings of one who's given up on en vogue conventions and corporate rock formats, do you find one brave enough, adventurous enough, and perhaps lost enough to write songs like "Vogue Bambini," "Paolo Conte," and "London 1888," all offbeat dazzlers offered here in this treasure trove. Perhaps there was a day that found the aging Momus frought with anxiety over the state of his fame, gnashing fingers hard against chords trying desperately to write the next "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and find that long "lost chord that would make the world weep." In the midst of his breakdown, an artistic breakTHROUGH must have occured - a loose cannon of an epiphany. "Have Fun." It's so simple - so easy. Momus music is fun music. Like the child Mozart, dazzling the masses at palace ballrooms with whatever came into his franticly creative mind, Momus too sparkles with the zealous nature of a child eager to showcase his latest crayon drawing on the fridge door. "Good Morning, World" celebrates this zeal. "We all went to Heaven in a little rowboat," he sings, taking us along for the ride.. "20 Vodka Jellies" gets less attention than "The Little Red Songbook," and still far less than the oft talked about Patronage Pop Masterpiece "Stars Forever," but it stands as a testament to one artist's dedication to having fun with music, exploring an ever eclectic & eccentric nature, and doing whatever the hell he wants. If only every Britney and Backstreet Lad were so lucky to live by this creed.

Nick Currie (Momus) first appeared in the 4AD band "The Happy Family", after that he launched a solo career writing & singing his own work as well as writing for others. Initially I was attracted to this CD, a bit of a career grab-bag of odds & ends, as it features his versions of the tracks recorded by he divine Kahimi Karie ("Giaponese a Roma", "Good morning World", "Nikon 2" and others) but I'm pleased to say that everything else is good too.

People often tend to harp on about the kinkier aspects of his work, and of course that features here, but you have to admire a guy that can sing a track like "Vogue Bambini" where he plays a Japanese Teenage Girl lamenting her lack of fertility, or can recite the silly bubblegum rap in "Good Morning World" ("liar, liar pants on fire, mummy's in the kitchen with electric wire") AND get away with it so damned easily. If you fancy a challenge and enjoy great, darkish pop, you shouldn't be disappointed.

I love this CD and have purchased it as a gift for several people. It's a mild introduction to Momus, but it has some fantastic songs. Momus is a very creative songwriter, and the songs are very entertaining.

Momus writes songs for pretty Japanese girl popstars and has had hits in Japan doing this but I like his own records most. This Cd compilation includes his original demo versions of songs he wrote for Kahimi Karie and The Poison Girlfriend. The End of History the Poison Girlfriend sounds a bit like Belle & Sebastian backed by The Pet Shop boys. It is one of the most beautiful tender songs I have heard. Momus has been a big influence on Belle & Sebastian. This album is a wonderful introduction to Momus and his eccentric pop.

I heard this after the standard-setting "SF," and so may never be impressed again. This is itself 73 minutes long, so I conclude epics are the norm for this guy. This is similar both musically and lyrically to SF, tinges of humor and grotesqueness sprinkled throughout. ...a provocative listen by any account. Initiate yourself with SF, though.

Nick Currie is a man of many styles, all bound up in his identity of Momus. This CD explores some of them, from his work with Shibuya pop stars, Nirvana-like grunge experiments, and even a Buzzcocks cover.

My favorites are the songs written originally for Kahimi Karie, Lolita extraordinaire, with the Italian lyrics of "Giapponese A Roma" standing out especially. "An Inflatable Doll" manages impossibly to keep a straight face even while Momus compares his life to a Comme des Garcons coat.