| The Narcoleptic Dancers – Never Sleep (2011) |
The Narcoleptic Dancers - Never Sleep
Location: Paris, Saint-Etienne, France / Haarlem, Netherlands
Album release: August 22nd, 2011 (France / September 26th, 2011 (GB)
Record Label: Bleepmachine
Total Length: 32:32
Tracklist:
01. Not Evident 2:32
02. Rastakraut 2:33
03. Sweet and Soft 2:02
04. Dusty Cowboy 2:23
05. Moon Thrill 2:15
06. Life Goes On 2:56
07. Unique Tree (Demo) 2:27
08. Again and Again 3:11
09. Bakerloo 2:40
10. Little Clown 2:34
11. Unique Tree 2:29
12. Rastakraut (Demo) 2:32
13. In the Dark (Bonus Track) 1:58
Website: http://thenarcolepticdancers.com/en
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/narcolepticdancersband // Last.fm: http://www.last.fm/music/The+Narcoleptic+Dancers
If you're fond of elaborate fabrication to serve as a back story to your favourite new European popsters then what the Narcoleptic Dancers offer up is particularly inspired. Not since Sebastian Jacob Niccals supposedly fathered his bass playing off-spring Murdoc, or the music press went into over-drive speculating on the relationship between Jack & Meg White have we had such a well concocted family history.
Whether Anton Louis Jr and Melody Van Kappers are half brother and sister, apparently born ten years apart but sharing the same Dad (Pro-footballer Johnny Van Kappers), matters not but it does add to the fun and intrigue created by this Franco-Dutch pair. The St Etienne/Haarlem duo have more than enough musically to bother with such fictitious creations but it also shows just how playful and cheeky they can be.
'Never Sleep' is the Narcoleptic Dancers debut full length album and succeeds last years EP, 'Not evident', the title track of which serves as a fitting opening to their album. Melody supplies the light and breezy vocals to accompany Anton's compositions as he provides the delicate, dreamy and on the whole deliriously happy go lucky musical instrumentation. Perfectly pitched, pure and precise pop is The Narcoleptic Dancers thing and they do it very well. Testament to this is the hook laden, catchy and amusing first single taken from the album, 'Rastakraut'..........."I'm sorry but I'm just really busy, see mate I'm just doing my girl thing."
Although it does sometimes feel a little one dimensional when heard in its entirety, 'Never Sleep' still provides such sweet and well balanced tunes. If you take any of them individually they all have a quirky and individual character of their own. 'Dusty Cowboy' ventures down a 'Pizzicato Five' route whilst 'Moon Thrill' is more folksie and nearer to Feist. 'Life Goes On' echoes the sound of The All Seeing Eye' and 'Unique Tree' touches upon many of today's contemporary left field female singer song-writers talents for blending seeming musical simplicity to well crafted lyrics. Invariably the resultant end product is a succinct slice of harmonious and particularly pleasurable pop.
'Again And Again', 'Bakerloo' and the Air like 'Little Crown' close out Never Sleep and continue to demonstrate why Ad-makers the world over are dribbling and swooning over The Narcoleptic Dancers tunes. Not since Moby delivered Go or Vince Clark composed......nearly anything, have we had such a collection of simple but effective hooks.
You may not know any of The Narcoleptic Dancers songs right now but believe me, whether bought out of choice, caught fleetingly on the radio, heard as the backdrop to the latest ad for some new cool gadget or used as a fittingly vacuous accompaniment to some teen drama, you will hear plenty of their music somehow. It may be light, it may be European, it may just be pop, but it is at least enjoyable.
Andrew Lockwood.
Fortaken: http://www.contactmusic.com/album-review/the-narcoleptic-dancers-never-sleep
Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005QU0TWS?ie=UTF8&tag=i0b8-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B005QU0TWS
Previous press:
«This Franco-Dutch duo perform subversively pretty indie-pop, all barmily breezy acoustica with kookily appealing melodies.» The Guardian
«Their debut EP is just about the happiest, catchiest thing you've ever heard.» Clash
«Dark-edged folk-pop from the Franco-Dutch half-siblings.» The Sunday Times
«Narcoleptic Dancers radiate charm and summery freshness that is redolent of both The Moldy Peaches' anti-folk and Psapp's twinkling pop. Should Juno ever be re-made in France, Narcoleptic Dancers will have a shoe-in for the soundtrack...» Music Week
«The type of quirky folk-pop which is one big commercial or TV sync away from becoming a smash.» Record Of The Day
.. «Avant que ces Parisiens ne signent autographes, disques d'or et musiques de pub, ils révelent déja les contours doux de leur univers rempli d'authentiques tubes pop.» Les Inrocks
Bio:
Johnny Van Kappers is a Dutch footballer, whose pro football career reached meteoric heights in the 70s. In 1978, he was transferred on loan by his club HFC Haarlem to AS Saint-Etienne for a season. At a major end of Championship party, the very night of his return, destiny happened: a furtive but passionate meeting with a Saint Etienne supporter. And so Anton Louis Jr was born in Saint Etienne, one fine day in 1979. Lovingly brought up by his mother. Grandfather as father figure. Born with an exceptional voice. His grandfather, as head of a choir, passed on to him his passion for singing and love of work. He learnt to train his voice. He would grow up to be a musician, singer and humanist. Johnny Van Kappers went home to Haarlem. He became manager of HFC. In 1989, he would wed the club president’s only child, piano teacher and state violinist. The fruit of this union, Melody Van Kappers, was born in 1990 in Haarlem. Her parents would fall in love with a little mill, where they would set up home and, ahead of their time, a shop stocking only natural products, (way before the concept of bio existed.) Here, Melody would grow up. A happy, untroubled childhood spent in the garden with her musical instruments. A childhood fed upon the country vegetables and folk songs loved by her mother. Even as a child, so small, Melody already knew what she was going to be when she grew up: a musician, singer and vegetarian.
It wasn’t until the very beginning of the 00s that Melody and Anton Louis Jr met, at a family party in Haarlem, thrown for patriarch Johnny Van Kappers. Dying from a leg tumour, he decided to reunite his entire family there, one last time. Encouraged by his wife, his main thought in mind was to meet the son he had never known. Anton Louis Jr was blown away. Blown away, and yet comforted. Melody and Anton Louis Jr’s first meeting was fleeting, and troubling. They would start writing to each other non-stop. It was only at Johnny’s funeral one year later that Anton Louis Jr would see Melody again. He was sad to have lost his father, but happy to have found a family. They discovered one common passion: music.
And so, it was as simply, as naturally as this that they would get together as a duo. Melody passed on a carefree attitude to Anton Louis Jr that he had never know as a child. They took the name “The Narcoleptic Dancers’ in homage to their father. The sports press had given him the nickname due to his peculiar haircut and his nonchalant dribble. Their trademark: the Johnny “Narcoleptic Dancer” Van Kappers haircut. She writes and sings. Anton Louis Jr composes and produces. And they’ve asked the famous Ramon & Pedro to take care of their image. Their songs are gentle, fresh, light, poetic and energetic, just as they are, on stage and in life.
| The Narcoleptic Dancers – Never Sleep (2011) |