Plastic D'Amour Olivia

Format: CD.
Year Of Release: 2003.
Label: Siesta.
Label reference #: Siesta 178.
TK Mailorder Reference ID: M218773
Approximate release date: March 23, 2004.
Genres: Rock/Pop

Price: $12.59 [In Stock. Available to ship now.]
On Sale! (Usual price $13.99)
List price: $16.97

Number in stock: 1
1 unit in cart. Remove from cart.

Distributor/label description(s):

Siesta description:
Well, the first half of the year has passed into our rearview mirror, leaving us to look back on a time of uncertainty and paradoxes and chimeras. Here is one of those "anomaly records" that may cause aseismic shift in modern pop. Or maybe not... Under the clear influence of some French icons and forgotten instant pop muses, "Olivia" is a hit parade of swinging sounds becoming essential listening for fans of Lio, Air, Katerine, Jane Birkin, Mikado, Gainsbourg, Pulp or April March. Plastic d�amour sets the standards really high with this cohesive album. Beautiful, ethereal, majestic, delicate, powerful, shimmering, sublime, mysterious, poetic, personal, and dreamy are adjectives coming to mind. Without any doubt Blanca Lacasa and Alberto Matesanz are talented anti-conformists. Their self-titled debut 6-songs EP (released in Jan 02) received critical acclaim and exposure in Japanese releases and TV advertising campaigns. In a nutshell, "Olivia" gathers brilliant tunes, clever lyrics (mostly in French), innovative arrangements, a thoroughly adventurous spirit, and a musical depth that always reveals something new on repeated listenings. This band gains appeal and impetus with each record. Irresistible!
   Plastic: English. Plastique, French. Pl�stico, Spanish. ...d�amour: French ...of love, English ... de amor, Spanish.
   Love is made of plastic, bubblegum or plasticine. It is soft and yummy. Plastic d'amour comes from Madrid: Alberto is a musician and Blanca, who sings and writes the lyrics, speaks French. Olivia: instead of bearing children, Plastic d'amour deliver records with baby names whenever possible.
   This is their most striking work to date. Plastic d'amour have conjured up a remarkably fresh, forward-looking sound with a distinctive melodic sensibility and a rich emotive register. "Olivia" also succeeds at capturing a certain feeling of transcendence; it is not pop that relies on kitsch or clich�s to get its point across. Songs weave their way through the pros and cons of love, anger, grief, bittersweet days gone
past, bucolic and urban settings and moods of the sort that exist in poetry and nouvelle vague.
   "Olivia" is a characterful exercise, replete with floating textures. It is by and large a pop album, with remarkable songs as

1. l�ombre. Exquisite opening track. There are intense lyrics about conflict behind a curtain of sweet sounds.
2. aujourd'hui. Punctuated by ragged and distorted guitar riffs and a morose sense of desperation, It is the song to be used as promotional single and video-clip.
3. huit trucs. A comforting pop song detailing the necessary items and tools to survive (the most prized possesions).
4. car la vie. The sunny side of the record. Fresh air for all.
5. songs and books. Emotional ways and a refined music sensibility are key to create songs like this one. There are broken things that can not
be assembled. This track is a dramatic march but retro and playful somehow.
6. si tu pouvais. Smart and well crafted to the extreme. Concise but with a sense of mystery.
7. t�l�. Beautiful by its simplicity here we have a compelling story with bittermess and irony.
8. petit flic. Alice in wonderland? An oniric tale? A surreal film? There is infectious sweetness here and a real bossa nova!!
9. femme divine. Imagine: femmes fatales, irresistible perfumes in the air, perverse girls in the fifties films, bouncy dance beats... This song bypasses the head and sets a mood directly for the heart.
10. le mec le plus chic... (du lyc�e). A gorgeous appealing song for the end of Olivia. Plastic d�amour are courageous enough to add a powerful
finale (and not a ballad as most bands do!!).

Like any great art, this record really defies analysis and should only be experienced at the most individual level.

Track listing:

1. "L'ombre"
2. "Aujourd'hui"
3. "Huit Trucs"
4. "Car La Vie"
5. "Songs And Books"
6. "Si Tu Pouvais"
7. "T�l�"
8. "Petit Flic"
9. "Femme Divine"
10. "Le Mec Le Plus Chic..."



Previous page


email: goldfish "at" tweekitten dot com