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Discography
Tour Dates
02/10/14 Cambridge, UK - Cambridge Junction^
02/11/14 Liverpool, UK - Leaf Tea Shop And Bar^ 02/12/14 Glasgow, UK - Broadcast^ 02/13/14 Gateshead, UK - Sage Gateshead^ 02/15/14 Manchester, UK - Deaf Institute^ 02/16/14 Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club^ 02/17/14 Brighton, UK - Komedia^ 02/18/14 Birmingham, UK - Hare & Hounds^ 02/19/14 Bristol, UK -Colston Hall^ 02/20/14 Le Grand Mix – Fireworks Festival 02/21/14 I Boat, Bordeaux, France 02/22/14 Nouvelle Vague – Saint-Malo, France 02/24/14 Le Sonic, Lyon, France 02/25/14 Point Ephemere, Paris, France 02/26/14 Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands 02/27/14 Brussels, Belgium - AB Club 02/28/14 Parenthèse Les Hivernales Festival 03/01/14 Palace, St Gallen, Switzerland 03/04/14 Prinzenbar, Hamburg, Germany 03/05/14 Studio 672, Cologne, Germany 03/21/14 New York, NY - Webster Hall * 03/22/14 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer* 03/23/14 Washington, DC - Black Cat* 03/25/14 Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall* 03/26/14 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick* 03/28/14 Chicago, IL - Metro* 03/29/14 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue * ^ with Sea Lion * with Warpaint Read More
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I was supposed to see Cate Le Bon last month but a combination of a severe case of the hives, a hefty dose of sleep-inducing Benadryl, and a long delay in the arrival of the band due to a pile-up on the snow-covered freeway derailed my opportunity. I was disappointed, not only because I really like Cate’s delightfully odd new album Mug Museum, but also because I wanted to see what this icy, strange woman is like in the flesh. Listening to Cate’s somber songs, I think I’d be forgiven for wondering if their creator ever smiles or laughs or jokes around. And this is certainly not meant as a criticism - my favorite music is deadly serious – it’s just an honest curiosity.
Mug Museum, Le Bon’s third album, was the first recorded in Los Angeles instead of her native Wales, and was recorded in the aftermath of the death of her maternal grandmother. Understandably, there’s a darkness to the songs which is, of course, not a stretch for Cate. Mug Museum is also Le Bon’s most accessible and catchy album yet, but if it’s her “commercial” record it only goes to prove that she will never be top 40 material. Mug Museum is a curious exhibition, to be certain. Musically, the reference points are Television, the Velvet Underground, The Doors, and, of course, Nico. I suspect Le Bon probably cringes when she hears that comparison, but the spectre of Nico haunts the album. The rather Germanic sounding Welsh accent, the ever-present keyboard drones which could easily be replaced by Nico’s harmonium, and the deadly-serious subject matter. These are songs to listen to in a reflective mood, in a darkened room, laying on a bed with headphones on. As all the best music is.
Mug Museum begins with right and left channel Television-style dueling electric guitars. “I Can’t Help You” is one of the highlights of the records and finds Le Bon struggling with her conscience straight off the bat: “What good could ever come from being cruel?” asks Cate before shrugging her shoulders, “I can’t help you, I can’t help you.” The song is capped by one of my new favorite break-up verses: “And after the fact we were out of steam / Time to cut my tie / And split me like timber / Spill me like water / Bend me like elbows / Beat me like egg yolks / Beat me like egg yolks.” I guess perhaps he deserves that callous “can’t help you” after all.
The second track, “Are You With Me Now?”, finds Cate channeling the ghost of Tom Jones while discussing another difficult relationship: “It’s not impossible / It’s not unfathomable / It’s not unusual, baby / To feel a shadow unkind.” I let out a chuckle hearing Cate use the word “baby” in the song - a rare bit of lightness on a very dark record. The song is catchy, with haunting ah-a-ah-a-ahs after each line of the chorus.
“Duke” is possibly the strangest of these bizarre little songs. It’s a catchy concoction filled with memorable lines like, “The weather licked your face dry” and punctuated with a bizarre chorus that consists of Cate yelling, “Here! Here! Here!” in ever-increasing octaves, like she’s frantically calling for her dog. Le Bon’s voice is at its best IMHO when she sings in a low register, and as she reaches for the high notes at the end of “Duke” I find myself thinking she’s hitting notes that she probably should have tucked into bed and kissed on the cheek instead. Brave? Definitely. But also... a little scary. Ever been enjoying yourself at a party and then suddenly realize that you’re surrounded by people with problems? Like that.
The bass-driven “No God” introduces the sub-theme of doubt and faithlessness. “No Goooooooooood, No God” sings Le Bon, matter-of-factly, as the Televisionesque guitars slash at each other in the channels and the rhythm section holds it all together in the center. It’s one of my favorite moments on the album.
The album’s masterpiece is “I Think I Knew” - a duet with Perfume Genius that is an instant classic and has been newly added to my list of Best Messed-Up Relationship Songs Ever. Their voices are a fascinating pairing: Perfume Genius’s vulnerable quaver vs. Le Bon’s resigned chill. “There’s no talking to him,” begins Le Bon. “I am old just to sit with him.” Oh yeah, I know that feeling. “I was bold, I was the author, doubt crept in like sickly dogs and dragged me through the fields,” replies Perfume Genius before they sit side by side and reflect on how things ended up like this: “I wish I knew... I think I knew?”. “What did you want?” he tentatively asks. “Everything,” she replies. Of course. What else? You can’t help feeling like the poor guy’s getting the shaft in this particular relationship. Seriously, do yourself a favor and give this song a listen!
Things go a bit off-track with the next song, the discordant, organ-driven “Wild”. This is the album’s party song. Of course, her version of a party song contains lyrics like, “Now I dream of horses grazing on Boxwood like bastions of self-sabotage, bastions of self-sabotage.” The chorus consists of Le Bon singing the title over and over again, with two syllables of course: “Wy-uld! Wy-uld!” The song ends with an organ flourish, like Ray Manzarek on speed. It’s all very, very strange.
The propulsive “Sisters” gets things back on track quickly, and is one of the highlights of the record. The lyrics provide the most blatant reference to Le Bon’s stated search for a place in her family following the death of her grandmother. “And if the flames stop short / I won’t die / I’m a sister / I won’t die,” she insists. It’s the most empowering moment of the album.
The ballad “Mirror Me” finds Le Bon at her most Nico-esque, with lo-fi drums and keyboard and violin flourishes. You can almost envision Mo Tucker and John Cale in the studio. This Velvet Underground vibe continues in the next song, the sad “Cuckoo Through the Walls” where Le Bon seems resigned and defeated, “I drank for hours / Never leave the house / Cuckoo through the walls / Lay still on the ground / Exhale the sounds of symphonies.” The song culminates in some classic “Sister Ray” guitar slashing.
The album ends on a low-key note with the piano ballad, “Mug Museum,” wherein Le Bon reflects upon her collection of coffee mugs: “I forget the details but know the warmth.” However, with Mug Museum, it’s the details I remember: all those icy, strange, compelling details. It’s one of my favorite albums of the year.
Mug Museum, Le Bon’s third album, was the first recorded in Los Angeles instead of her native Wales, and was recorded in the aftermath of the death of her maternal grandmother. Understandably, there’s a darkness to the songs which is, of course, not a stretch for Cate. Mug Museum is also Le Bon’s most accessible and catchy album yet, but if it’s her “commercial” record it only goes to prove that she will never be top 40 material. Mug Museum is a curious exhibition, to be certain. Musically, the reference points are Television, the Velvet Underground, The Doors, and, of course, Nico. I suspect Le Bon probably cringes when she hears that comparison, but the spectre of Nico haunts the album. The rather Germanic sounding Welsh accent, the ever-present keyboard drones which could easily be replaced by Nico’s harmonium, and the deadly-serious subject matter. These are songs to listen to in a reflective mood, in a darkened room, laying on a bed with headphones on. As all the best music is.
Mug Museum begins with right and left channel Television-style dueling electric guitars. “I Can’t Help You” is one of the highlights of the records and finds Le Bon struggling with her conscience straight off the bat: “What good could ever come from being cruel?” asks Cate before shrugging her shoulders, “I can’t help you, I can’t help you.” The song is capped by one of my new favorite break-up verses: “And after the fact we were out of steam / Time to cut my tie / And split me like timber / Spill me like water / Bend me like elbows / Beat me like egg yolks / Beat me like egg yolks.” I guess perhaps he deserves that callous “can’t help you” after all.
The second track, “Are You With Me Now?”, finds Cate channeling the ghost of Tom Jones while discussing another difficult relationship: “It’s not impossible / It’s not unfathomable / It’s not unusual, baby / To feel a shadow unkind.” I let out a chuckle hearing Cate use the word “baby” in the song - a rare bit of lightness on a very dark record. The song is catchy, with haunting ah-a-ah-a-ahs after each line of the chorus.
“Duke” is possibly the strangest of these bizarre little songs. It’s a catchy concoction filled with memorable lines like, “The weather licked your face dry” and punctuated with a bizarre chorus that consists of Cate yelling, “Here! Here! Here!” in ever-increasing octaves, like she’s frantically calling for her dog. Le Bon’s voice is at its best IMHO when she sings in a low register, and as she reaches for the high notes at the end of “Duke” I find myself thinking she’s hitting notes that she probably should have tucked into bed and kissed on the cheek instead. Brave? Definitely. But also... a little scary. Ever been enjoying yourself at a party and then suddenly realize that you’re surrounded by people with problems? Like that.
The bass-driven “No God” introduces the sub-theme of doubt and faithlessness. “No Goooooooooood, No God” sings Le Bon, matter-of-factly, as the Televisionesque guitars slash at each other in the channels and the rhythm section holds it all together in the center. It’s one of my favorite moments on the album.
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The album’s masterpiece is “I Think I Knew”
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Things go a bit off-track with the next song, the discordant, organ-driven “Wild”. This is the album’s party song. Of course, her version of a party song contains lyrics like, “Now I dream of horses grazing on Boxwood like bastions of self-sabotage, bastions of self-sabotage.” The chorus consists of Le Bon singing the title over and over again, with two syllables of course: “Wy-uld! Wy-uld!” The song ends with an organ flourish, like Ray Manzarek on speed. It’s all very, very strange.
The propulsive “Sisters” gets things back on track quickly, and is one of the highlights of the record. The lyrics provide the most blatant reference to Le Bon’s stated search for a place in her family following the death of her grandmother. “And if the flames stop short / I won’t die / I’m a sister / I won’t die,” she insists. It’s the most empowering moment of the album.
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It’s one of my favorite albums of the year.
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The album ends on a low-key note with the piano ballad, “Mug Museum,” wherein Le Bon reflects upon her collection of coffee mugs: “I forget the details but know the warmth.” However, with Mug Museum, it’s the details I remember: all those icy, strange, compelling details. It’s one of my favorite albums of the year.
Comments
Sweet! I was listening to "I Think I Knew" just the other day. It is available as a free download via the Pitchfork/Soundcloud link: https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/103539944/download?secret_token=s-k2Ezu&client_id=0f8fdbbaa21a9bd18210986a7dc2d72c