Search - Momus :: Philosophy of Momus

Philosopher of the bedroom

magicshoe | brooklyn, ny USA | 07/31/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the mid-80s, Scottish-born, Japanese-influenced, New York-resident singer-songwriter Nick Currie re-christened himself Momus after the Greek god of laughter and mockery -- the one who was banished from Olympus for making fun of Zeus. Our modern-day Momus has been subject to a similar fate: cast into commercial oblivion for mocking the powers that be. And "The Philosophy of Momus" is an excellent place to find out why. That this album didn't dominate the charts of 1995 is one of the more vexing injustices of our times. It features 19 stunning tracks across a wide variety of pop (or mock-pop) styles, from the demented, distorted blues of "Toothbrushead" through the West Indian stylings of the unbelievably catchy "Madness of Lee Scratch Perry" to the gender-bending bubblegum of "Boyish Girl". The songs, as one would expect from a world-class iconoclast like Currie, prick the conscience of society by scandalizing it -- this, like all Momus releases, should be plastered several PMRC warning stickers, as its tales of murder sexuality are defintiely NOT for the prudish. But for mature, thinking listeners seeking provocative pop -- think Leonard Cohen interpreted by the Pet Shop Boys under the direction of the Marquis de Sade -- this is the best thing you'll find this side of Serge Gainsbourg. (And unlike Gainsbourg, Momus is still alive and sings in English.) Nick Currie is nothing less than the greatest living lyricist, and the most criminally underrated artist at work today. The newsgroup devoted to Currie's current US label Le Grand Magistery at egroups.com recently voted "Philosophy of Momus" second only to his 1987 masterpiece "The Poison Boyfriend" as the best of his 15 elpees (not that there's a bad one in the bunch. Pop's reigning egghead raises the bar for what contemporary songcraft is capable of. Ignore it at your peril. I can't recommend it enough!"

Perfectly gloomy electronica

Sara Moore | Fayetteville, AR United States | 07/10/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I picked up this album, another masterwork in a long string
of them by Momus, in Japan a few years ago. I was smack in
the middle of a gloomy, rainy Osaka spring and this was just
the kind of philosophy I needed to hear. Nick's poetic,
open-ended musings on life, sex and death in the digital
age are set to a down-tempo soundscape with reference points
from Kraftwerk and Autechre to Beck and Brel. There's a
sense of confusion and meloncholy, but also a childlike optimism for the high-tech future where all of our problems will be
solved with the push of a button. It's contradictory, Romantic,
perverse and enthralling from start to finish. Essential
listening."