Chances are you've probably heard the name Azalia Snail before but have not heard her music. Over the 10+ years that this performer has been churning out singles and CDs of dreamy, glam-influenced pop music as well as making music for movies and television shows, the most notable factors that crop up in her bio and discography are representing one half of a split single with Sebadoh and releasing a 7" on the venerable Sub Pop label. Other than that, Ms. Snail has been quietly bubbling in that nebulous realm known as "cult status".
It's a rather confusing moniker to put on her work considering the number of artists who have made more successful inroads in the music world with a similar sound (Spiritualized, Doves, et al). This is not to say that she's a mere copycat of bands like that because it is apparent that they are all drawing from the same well of inspiration. It is confusing as to why no label or promotion unit hasn't snatched Azalia up and made a big noise about her. Hopefully this will change with the release of her new album, Avec Amour.
One issue could be what is also one of the major stumbling blocks of this album: her lyrical output. She writes some incredibly enrapturing melodies but exhibits them with lyrics that sound like an experiment in rhyme schemes. Now, maybe this is just a conceit that I've never been able to get over, but I'm always of the opinion that music should have something to say. It's too impressionable and inspiring of an art form to fall into mere free association.
Still, what else there is to be had on this CD far outweighs that middling concern. The music found here is a heady brew of effects-heavy guitars overlaid with plaintive drums and a smattering of saxophone and trumpet lines which are all then pushed right over the edge into ecstasy by the Siren-esque vocals of Ms. Snail. Even the instrumentals that drone deliciously will have you steering your boat onto the rocks within the first minute.
It's doubtful that this disc will make even the smallest blip on the cultural radar of our popular culture which is a shameful turn of events. Azalia Snail comes close to touching greatness on Avec Amour and could turn many of the uninitiated into lifelong fans. One can only hope that the world might give this album its due.