Podiums don’t figure much in the world of pop, meaning that Cate Le Bon is being denied her rightful position. Awarding points based on stop-you-in-your-tracks great songs, plus extra for producing John Grant´s celebrated Boy From Michigan album, plus even more extras for appearing on the Chemical Brother´s Born In The Echoes – you can´t argue that it all adds up to perfectly justified champagne pops.
Running Away is the first single from a new album, Pompei, and at first listen, the most striking things were lyrical nuggets ( “Take your gloves off”/“I´m not cold by a nature”/Multidirectional love”) and the polish. There´s guitars on here which might have been recorded in LA, such is the chrome sunlight shine. And then there are saxes. And it´s not just me. Their surprise appearance also grabs attention in a Le Bon quote on Pitchfork. Summarising the Pompei philosophy, she says..
The subtitle is: You will be forever connected to everything. Which, depending on the time of day, is as comforting as it is terrifying. The sense of finality has always been here. It seems strangely hopeful. Someone is playing with the focus lens. The world is on fire but the bins must go out on a Tuesday night. Political dissonance meets beauty regimes. I put a groove behind it for something to hold on to. The grief is in the saxophones.
It´s this blend of the uncanny and the everyday that makes Le Bon´s music such an enchanting pleasure. Like blending studio niceties with indie grit or country diligence, or maybe just human niggle. Running Away is full of all that. It´s a slow one that wins you over by stealth, never letting you forget the root pain. It was recorded in, ´a quagmire of unease,´ says Le Bon. Listening to it is like that too, except that it´s also beautiful.
THIS WEEK
Cate Le Bon – Running Away
48,543 views since 12th October Weekly Average Views – 19,998
LAST WEEK
Uffie – Cool
Weekly Average Views – 16,531. Blog Week Views – 5,980
EXTRAS
Cate Le Bon – Daylight Matters
Cate Le Bon– Home To You
Cate Le Bon(ft. Perfume Genius) – I Think I Knew