Hercules and Love Affair - s/t
Artist: Hercules and Love Affair
Album: Hercules and Love Affair
Label: Mute, EMI
Will the world look back on Hercules and Love Affair like it now looks back on most expressively gay performers? People, for example, say Culture Club was a fun band, but does anyone take Boy George seriously (or at least think he isn’t nuts)? Jermaine Stewart? The Village People? Klaus Nomi? Perhaps if Hercules and Love Affair play more glam and less disco, more Brian Ferry and less Sylvester, they’ll be in the clear. Or perhaps, as lead songwriter Andrew Butler wishes, we shall embrace flamboyance, gender-bending, and disco as legitimate forms of art (and not novelties). We shall see.
What’s my immediate take on the tracks? I think this is the perfect album to bring back slow-jam dancing, and I guess that is good. Take a listen for yourself:
Hercules and Love Affair - “Raise Me Up”
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Imagine a more sophisticated Sylvester doing an impression of Nina Simone. Add better production and simpler orchestration. Shake well with ice. Serve with lemon zest garnish.
Hercules and Love Affair - “Hercules Theme”
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Crawling disco croons with a little Boy George and Italo disco thrown in for extra fun. One thing I will say is that Hercules and Love Affair do end their songs really well. Check out the boiling, layered horns at the finish of this track.
Check out the band site, watch their videos, and buy the album if you think it’s your new jam.
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