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Dopo due singoli ("Body Experience Revue", 2001 e "Come with You") e varie vicissitudini, Millionaire pubblicano il primo album: "Outside the Simian Flock" (PIAS).
La storia di questo disco va indietro di ben quattro anni, nel 1998, quando Tim Vanhamel - tra lo scioglimento di Evil Superstar (di cui entrò a far parte alla tenera età di 16anni) e la sua apparizione come seconda chitarra in "The Ideal Crash" tour dei dEUS nel 1999 - andò in Spagna a registrare del materiale da solista, portando con sé Dave Schoryen, che sarebbe poi diventato il batterista dei Millionaire insieme a Aldo Struyf (keyboard, voce), Ben Wijers (chitarra, voce) e Bas Remans (basso, voce).
Tim Vanhamel è cresciuto a jazz (suo padre era un batterista), scoprendo funk e punk quando era poco più di un bambino. Tra le sue preferenze musicali si annoverano Kyuss, Melvins, John Coltrane, Ween. Una miscela inusuale e interessante di generi e idee che si può riscontrare anche in "Outside the Simian Flock".
Si tratta di un disco difficile da catalogare in un genere specifico; le influenze musicali sono state assimilate e rielaborate con una notevole dose d'originalità, lasciando spazio alle libere interpretazioni (in questo caso, assolutamente inutili) dell'ascoltatore.
Vanhamel racconta di storie e situazioni personali, ma lo fa in maniera "universale": ti porta nel suo mondo e ti fa credere di essere lui, ma non sei lui, sei tu nelle stesse storie e situazioni, e mentre lui urla "Motherfucker stole my move and I'm now the one to prove..." ("Aping Fr13nds"), la musica, ossessiva e incazzata, ti spinge a muoverti e urlare con lui.
In "Blindfold", quasi un sinuoso lullaby contemporaneo, ci viene ricordato quanto sia difficile fare certe scelte e quanto sia facile perdersi in stronzate se non ci si guarda mai "dentro".
Sonorità pigre e trascinanti in "Body Experience Revue", mentre "Flame me Up" è un pezzo da torello appena svezzato, le referenze a sesso e iconografia erotica assolutamente "sfacciate", ma ironizzate da un riff pop-rock quasi scherzoso.
Sono temi forse un po' post-adolescenziali, ma Vanhamel ha la naturale abilità poetica di rendere particolare qualcosa di banale.
Con "Outside the Simian Flock" Vanhamel vuole renderci partecipi di come si sente: una persona staccata dal resto della massa.
Millionaire si sentono lontani da altre bands che optano una formula collaudata o assecondano i gusti di tendenza. Hanno scelto una strada più personale e meno facile, ma sicuramente più gratificante.
"OTSF" è un album decisamente particolare, che può piacere moltissimo o far assolutamente schifo a chi lo ascolta, ma - a mio avviso - non c'è una via di mezzo. Onesto, intermittente e erogeno, io l'ho trovato "addictive" e lo sto ascoltando praticamente non stop...
Elenco tracce testi e samples
01 Body Experience Revue (06:05)
I fear what I'll never be, i fear what I'll never see
I take in what they throw out, I take in what they devour
You gave me this special thing, you gained from this rotten fling
You gave me this special thing, you gained from this rotten fling
Baby can't you see, I love simplicity and I will not stay too long
Can't, will not stay too long, baby can't you see,
Don't need this expertise, I got enough on my own bill
You'll get your wish fullfilled
I wonder if i will find, some chaotic piece of mind
If one ever gets in right, if one ever wins this fight
You think that you're heavensent, but you're just a malcontent
You think that you're heavensent, but you're just a malcontent
I fear that I'll never feel, I fear that this movies real
I'm leaving when they show up, I continue, when they stop
You gave me this special thing, you gained from this rotten fling
You gave me this special thing, you gained from this rotten fling
Woman what is wrong, thought I was everyone,
And I had already seen 2 seas, saw about a million me's
Woman,what is wrong, I know my ways are strong
But I can't settle down for less, had to flee from tis mess
If wonder if you were me, If you were what I could be
How can I be everyone, how can I fuck everyone
You think that you're heavensent, but you're just a malcontent
You think that you're heavensent, but you're just a malcontent
04 Champagne (04:45)
You're my champagne
My only side mondaine
You make me sane
When i'm one step away from really hurting myself
You are my tower
Girl, you can golden shower
All over me
Cause i'm one inch away from destroying myself
I only wish that you've got plans for me baby,
You know i'll be good and you can stick everything in me
The reason i jump from my seat is not you,
I'm just very alert, don't wana to carcrash with you
09 Her Gender (Fixed) (05:04)
Can you believe that, she doesn't feel the need
To overcome this messs and forget about the stress
That she has now, when she thinks about the lies
Which made her whos he is, how many time she tried
To be boyish, use tape to flat her breast, living life in closet
And playing with the cars of her brother, who turned into a plant
Liked the tasted of sugat, but now he's using hemp in his backroom
With everyhting at hand, porno on the telly and every night his hand
Anyway she said: I'm gonna work i out, whatever is the problem, i'm gonna get it out
And now sh's here and now they're here now the butcher is here
And they got plans for her body yeah they're going to get her fixed
So she told me about the outcome of her plan, toiletseat up, convenient for a man
She was happy, didn't change her name, everything was fine but running gave her pain
Anyway she said: I'm gonna work it out, whatever is the problem , i'm gonna get it out
And now sh's here and now they're here and now the butcher is here
All that comfort is just too much and your eyes took all neon they could take
All you breath is exhaust and gas, all you feed of is bones, offal and trash
I just want to know who she was before, before she became a crsytal gazing shrew
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Altre recensioni
Di Ghemison
Dunque un esordio coi fiocchi, sfortunatamente passato senza clamore in anni di revival sixties e wave.
Her Gender (Fixed): caotico, convulso, epilettico, diviso e lacerato da distorsioni destrutturanti e repentine accelerazioni ritmiche…
