These Songs Are Our Only Alibis,
TanaouIf there's more drama surrounding a band than there has Tanaou over the last 12 months, then I'll be shocked. There have been more band member departures and additions than I care to remember, the band have split (probably more than the one time it went public) and then reformed... to say it's been a hectic year would be an understatement. Perhaps the most frustrating thing is that this record, recorded in Sweden in March, isn't actually due out until February 2005. There's allsorts of reasons for the delays, but it's almost fated that this record will never come out. I hope to God it does. Whatever does happen, for me this goes down as one of the best British records in recent years. It's just a piece of sheer genius - six songs of pure heartbreak; guts spilled onto CD and poured out of your speakers without a single cliche in sight. If there's a more emotional band than Tanaou - and I use that in a serious sense - I'm yet to find them. 'These Songs Are Our Only Alibis' is literally the chaotic breakdown of a friendship over the course of a mini-album. But it's not any old friendship - it's the relationship between the two songwriters and singers.
Reviewing this album was going to be difficult in the fact that I'm friends with Jay. I probably respect that guy more than most UK musicians because he's so incredibly open and honest in his music - I don't think there's a fake or cliched bone in his body. I actually received this record about 6 or 7 months ago; the first person outside of band or label to get hold of one. Now this may sound like I'm boasting, but to me it sums up Tanaou entirely. My CD-R (a 'gift' I guess from a friend to a friend) came in an amazing handmade slipcase, containing handwritten lyrics and explainations of each song, personalised drawings, pictures and even mementoes from the trip to Sweden where they recorded. It's something I actually treasure - there's so much care over the art and the thought behind it that it typifies exactly what Tanaou are about. This honesty and beauty is continued on the disc itself, taking in inspiration from the sun, Elliot Smith's death and the complete breakdown of the friendship of vocalists Jay and Harry - with songs written by both about the other.
'My Summer Satire' and 'Time For A Change' are gorgeous songs, a bit Nick Drake in parts, in others there are subtle references to latter day Idlewild. In the latter, Jay nods towards the death of Elliot Smith - a self-confessed influence on his songwriting. 'Scenes From The Passion' is perhaps the song most likely to impress older Tanaou fans, but for me it's nothing short of amazing - the dual male/female harmonies are sweet, yet the lyrical content is bitter and twisted - "just another scene from the passion" the pair sing to each other like their baiting is just an everyday occurance. But all this is just topped off with the majestic 'The History Of A Nation', a song so damn good it's shocking. Jay describes it himself as a song about people having expectations and trying to live up to them, but for me the line 'an eloquent portrayl of 20 years' sums the songwriting up - it's so painfully honest throughout. Even the two new versions of 'Kissing Chaos' are beautiful, even though 'Kissing Chaos Part One' is one of my favourite tracks by a UK band.
Everything about this record is amazing - the art, the production, the level of musicianship, the lyrics...I could go on. I don't know what the future holds for Tanaou, I don't know if they'll ever make another album or whether this will get the press and publicity it deserves. But one thing I do know is that this is perhaps the most gorgeous piece of art I've heard all year. With they are friends or not doesn't matter a jot - this is one rollercoaster ride that will thrill you over and over again.
www.myspace.com/tanaou
Bravestar Records
Paul
