If there’s a single thing I’d like you to take away from this blog in general it’s that more people should listen to Momus. He’s a fantastic songwriter, an astonishingly lyricist and his back catalogue contains some absolutely tremendous work.
Unfortunately – due to Creation Records going out of business and Sony (who co-opted the back catalogue) not being interested in releasing some late 80s and early 90s records by a not especially well-known songwriter – it’s been hard for me to give people examples of why I think is Momus is so damn good. The songs are hard to find and the only ‘proper’ video from that period I’ve found online is the Hairstyle of the Devil, which I’ve posted before and shall do so again:
But not any more – recently I discovered (although this actually happened two years ago) he’s put most of his Creation records output up for free download on his website. So if you want to get hold of six Momus albums for free (with the artist’s consent) just follow the links below.
NB a small confession since it’ll be apparent once you click the link. Yes I did steal the idea for last’s weeks retrospective on the Misdiagnosis album from these articles…
Anyway:
The Poison Boyfriend – possibly the most consistently good of these six albums. It maybe lacks the peaks of the next three but there’s barely any troughs either.
Tender Pervert – possibly the best of the six albums and the one to first. “Bishonen”, “Maoist Intellectual…” and “the Charm of Innocence” are all absolutely astonishingly good songs and there’s many other highlights to boot.
Don’t Stop the Night – In “Hairstyle of the Devil” this contains the closest thing Momus ever had to a hit single and “The Cabriolet” and “The Guitar Lesson” are wonderfully disturbing and unsettling too. Musically much of the album is a pastiche of late 80s pop so it has dated a little more than the other albums but there’s still some good stuff here.
Hippopotamomus – probably the filthiest of the bunch. This is an album of songs about sex (even more so than the other albums!). “Ventriloquists and Dolls” is a highlight and the title track is ace in its sheer silliness.
Voyager – the happiest of these albums and possibly the most impersonal too. It’s probably my least favourite here but “Summer Holiday 1999″ is nonetheless a damn strong moment.
Timelord – the bleakest and most difficult of these albums to get into but nonetheless rewarding. “Breathless” sounds like a cover of an old crooner ballad in the best way possible…
Anyway, go ahead, listen, enjoy…
