ARTiST: The Procession
TiTLE: Musique Magnifique
LABEL: Nude Records / V2
GENRE: Rock
TiME: 34:32 min
SiZE: 47,5 MB
BiTRATE: VBRkbps
RiP DATE: Apr-07-2007
RELEASE DATE: Apr-09-2007
WEBSiTE: n/a
Track List:
01. The Moment 03:26
02. Major And Minor 03:24
03. Don't Let Go 03:11
04. MTV Song 02:25
05. Living Alone 04:23
06. Sandra 04:21
07. Don't Hesitate 03:17
08. I Want A Golden Light 03:09
09. In The Least 03:29
10. Don't You Wish 03:27
Release Notes:
The Procession are like one of those early-70s
"power pop" bands who sought, at the height of prog,
singer-songwriter navel-gazing and heavy-metal
mania, a return to the simple verities of mid-60s
hook-driven, harmony-laden, three-minute radio pop.
Problem was, outside of cult circles, no one was
interested in the Raspberries, Stories, Blue Ash,
Big Star et al and they died a commercial death,
leading to ugly break-ups. But but BUT! In the wake
of the success of the Shins and the Apples In
Stereo, perhaps as an antidote to emo, there does
seem to be a thawing of attitudes towards this brand
of breezy, theoretical pop.
Anglophiles in love with the Zombies and the
Prisoner, the Procession reflect the two extremes of
the Beatles' career, from the melodic whimsy of
Merseybeat to the baroque intricacy of Abbey Road.
They also have a bit of the wacky nerd about them,
of Weezer and They Might Be Giants,
Beatles-worshippers who coat their pastiches in
layers of smug irony. J Paul Zawacki's voice
similarly alternates between the lovely high-keening
angst of an Alex Chilton and the knowing, adenoidal
twang of the twat from TMBG.
They're a Yank/Brit enterprise. The US contingent
comprises J Paul Zawacki and John Schreffler, who
first met in an eighth-grade catechism class in
Michigan and formed an experimental rock group that
lasted their entire high school years. In autumn
2003, they made a demo that Zawacki, then studying
English at the University of Michigan (flunked
almost-alumni: Iggy Pop and Madonna), intended to
use to get into music school. Employing an old
eight-track machine, Zawacki wrote songs for
analogue whiz Shreffler, and the pair recorded them
in a basement with much instrument-swapping.
One year later, the duo completed their debut album,
Musique Magnifique, 10 songs about romantic
disillusion and relationship disasters, with former
Pure Reason Revolution guitarist, Greg Jong, an
Englishman newly relocated to the Golden State. "We
really tried to create the type of pop that we
wished was on the radio," explains Zawacki. "Fun,
melodic and upbeat, but also intricate and clever."