Upon first listening to the former Czars frontman John Grant‘s solo album, created in collaboration with the band Midlake, I thought it was a bit odd. I didn’t quite know what to make of the “soft rock” with lyrics strange, dark, funny, and sad all at once. But the more I listened to it, the more I loved it. Considering Czars previous work, it’s no wonder that a beautiful sadness pervades through this work.
The album was honored by Mojo magazine as an Instant Classic, a label shared by Fleet Foxes for their 2008 album. The BBC had this to say:
“One of the most deeply satisfying debut albums of recent times”, and concluded: “Queen of Denmark transcends the sum of its influences by concentrating on the irresistible appeal of sad yet optimistic love songs, classy arrangements and a dark and handsome croon. Midlake’s only mistake is making John Grant’s startling debut better than their own records.”
The track “I Wanna Go to Marz” is a perfect example of BBC’s statement about the album. This according to Youtube about the song:
John had this to say about the track: ‘Marz was a sweet shop from my childhood. It’s now empty and for sale. But I got to visit beforehand, and the woman who served me as a child was still there. They still made all their own candies and ice cream. In the song, I list all the names of the sundaes, and drinks like Green River. The song is about the gateway back to childhood and innocence, before things have become complicated.’ the owner’s name was Marzetti or some such-hence song name.
Here’s the video:
Related articles
- Albums of 2010, No 10: John Grant – Queen of Denmark (guardian.co.uk)
- MOJO’s Top Albums of 2010 + John Grant tour dates & stream (brooklynvegan.com)
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