injury risk

L’Enfant Assassin Des Mouches

Jean-Claude Vannier’s psych-funk choral symphonic masterpiece L’Enfant Assassin Des Mouches (which translates as Child Assassin of the Flies) was reissued this decade by one of my favorite labels, Finders Keepers. While best known for his work with French Pop’s stars including Serge Gainsbourg, Jane Birkin, Brigitte Fontaine, and Francoise Hardy, this record may stand as my favorite of his work. Lore tells that L’Enfant was born of the same fertile womb as Gainsbourg’s Histoire de Melody Nelson, which Vannier arranged and produced.

Since it’s reissue, many kind words and reviews have contributed to the growing cult of Vannier. Though, I think Tim Gane of Stereolab put it quite well: “I believe Gainsbourg made his greatest record with Vannier and that Vannier was his greatest arranger. This is saying a lot when you look at the genius level of many of the other arrangers Gainsbourg worked with. Vannier’s string and choral arrangements have a total sense of OTHERNESS and are indeed unlike anyone else’s. And there is none more OTHER than his first LP which leaves your mind feeling like it was fried by THE ANTI-SUN.”

Performed live on the Roland Petit Show, 1971.
A musical accompaniment to Yves Saint Laurent’s Autumn/Winter collection. 

I wanna hang with Kareem

1980: bongos, records, persian rugs, and dominos

Via Andy Gray’s priceless SI Vault twitter. 

sail it slow

The entire GUARDS EP is available for free at Bandcamp. Get on it.