Nearly the weekend. Not quite yet though.

Compilation - Bertrand Burgalat: 'The genius of' (CD; Bungalow; 1993-2000)
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I would describe Bertrand Burgalat's production style as a lo-fi mixture of strings and Pet Shop Boys-style keyboards and synths, with a pleasant retro undercurrent.

This compilation is the Bungalow label's salute to his work, and mixes up a handful of things I know well with a lot that I had never heard before.

Burgalat's remix of Ladytron's 'he took her to a movie' illustrates his superb, Air-like production, with cool bouncy bass and synth sounds. Moderato's 'Him' is another exemplary illustration of how he appropriates some of the best features of Serge Gainsbourg's landmark Melody Nelson album--airy soundscapes, acoustic guitars--and modernizes them beautifully.

It was also through this compilation that I first discovered Cinnamon; the strings on Burgalat's production of 'maybe in the next life' are superb. It's a wonderfully catchy song, probably my favorite on this disc, with a great mix of compelling lyrics, great guitar playing, and wonderful production.

Not every track is a killer, but this is still a very nice disc to have. One track I already had that appears here is 'Sugar', from April March's Chrominence Decoder (while March's vocal here is in English, her delivery is in that cool faux-French style that she has perfected). female vocal. Also featured is 'Pink Elephants', the opening track on Mick Harvey's 2nd Gainsbourg tribute album of the same name. It's a beautiful, stringy instrumental, which I came to love long before I knew Burgalat's name.

Apparently Burgalat produced the latest Anita Lane record; I'm sure there's much more to come from him.

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