Fall apparently wasn’t arriving early enough for the folks at Starbucks, so the international coffee giant moved it up – to this past August 25 – with the early arrival of its familiar fall drinks. But when ordering up that pumpkin spice latte, you might want to check out two recent musical offerings, both curated with the Starbucks Entertainment label’s customary care. The simply-titled British Folk emphasizes the current crop of troubadours who currently follow in the footsteps of Nick Drake and Sandy Denny, both of whom are represented here with “Hazey…
Gainsbourg’s Women: Ace Collects “Vamps et Vampire: The Songs of Serge Gainsbourg”
When considering Serge Gainsbourg (1928-1991), it’s often impossible to separate the provocateur’s art from his outré behavior. The French songwriter, poet, actor and director was described by one journalist as “David Bowie, Mick Jagger and John Lennon rolled into one smoke cloud of controversy,” but it’s hard to imagine any of those rock icons at their most outrageous ever releasing anything like Gainsbourg’s duet with Jane Birkin, “Je t’aime…moi non plus.” The song’s odd amalgam of steamy, erotically breathy lyrics and exclamations over an easy listening instrumental was quintessentially Gainsbourg, though the…
