Queen Of Denmark

Absolute fantastic album from someone I've never heard of before. I'm ~250 songs in to the 1,001 albums book, and this is the first one where I stopped what I was doing to read the lyrics as they were sung. I'm so happy I discovered this album and this artist. Will definitely be listening to more. Sigourney Weaver and Jesus Hates Faggots are the best, but the rest of the songs have fantastic melodies and harmonies. Really well done.

Haiku tuesday: Prepared for weird crap; but novel, modern folk songs; Long live Denmark's Queen

i've said it before but its worth repeating. this is the type of wank that mark Chapman saved us from. if lennon had been left to his own devices and kept releasing music that wasn't filtered by the rest of the beatles this is what it would sound like. if this was the only music available in the world i would be melting out my eardrums right now. if the americans caught me and started to waterboard me this is the music that would make me crack. fuck me its bad. its really bad. like awful. to give it credit though its sent me on a roller coaster of emotions between hatred, confusion, sympathy, comedy and back to anger. if there was a 0 this cunt would be getting it. i'm fuming. nothing but sneks, its me and my baby from here on.

Bo Burnham meets Dark side of the moon

Originally I thought this was going to hit the same vibe as Joni Mitchell, Fred Neil and Tracy Chapman for me, where I could appreciate the lyrics but the music wouldn't move me. But I feel like the record slowly evolved and became catchier with each passing song. Legit, it was like, gaining stars as the tracks went on. "Sigourney Weaver" slaps. A lot of tracks do.

I mean jesus christ. Why is this in the list. It sounds like someone took a 17 year oldest first attempt at poetry and set it to the most generic background music possible. One of the songs is just a white guy saying slurs but it's "ironic and about jesus" or whatever so its fine. If I could give this less than 1 star I would

Eurgh, it’s pretty boring and every song sounds like a bad version of a better song. Not for me at all.

Queen Of Denmark is a beautiful Grant/Midlake collab album that I grabbed on CD when I saw them all perform 10 years ago. The classic indie folk sound that he creates paints a picture from another time. I have always visualized his & Midlake's music as a backdrop for an underground home in the deep woods, in which animals and humans coexist and speak the same language, much like a Colin Meloy book. Queen Of Denmark hits all the modern indie folk marks with stellar storytelling, diverse instrumentation (flutes, keys, & strings), tons of humor, catchy grooves, and endearing ballads. Forgot how much HUMOR :) Chicken Bones & Silver Platter Club are delightful musically, but lyrically produce plenty of smiles & chuckles. And of course, Outer Space and Jesus Hates Faggots are my favs for their imagery and messages of true love.

This was *not* what I expected. A little OK Computer, a little Joy Division. I need a few more listens, but I think I'm gonna love this album.

How to lift a relentlessly solemn romantic ballad? How about "Baby, you're where dreams go to die / And I regret the day your lovely carcass caught my eye." Sumptuous padded drums and baroque piano runs also help. Okay, so I'm just describing the gorgeous Where the Dreams Go To Die. Outside of that, Grant proves himself a songwriting ten-ringer again and again, serving up brilliance from the higher echelons of the Fulcrum in the order of chrous conceits that cycle through the names of different famous actress to describe how he feels (Sigourney Weaver), lyrics so prosaic they turn poetic (Queen of Denmark), some kind of Scissor Sisters pastiche (Chicken Bones), birthright circus-clowning (Silver Platter Club), I'm-so-good-at-this-I-can-say-anything home truths (Jc Hates Faggots), and nihilist satire (That's the Good News). He doesn't kid like Stephen Merrit, rock like Lou, or dance like Tennant-Lowe, but he finds a space between all three. To finish, here's one of the many magnificent runs from the kiss off title track. This review is already too long, but then again, so is the album. And as Grant shows us, if you got it, flaunt it. "It was this 'us and them' shit that did me in / You tell me that my life is based upon a lie / I casually mention that I pissed in your coffee / I hope you know that all I want from you is sex / To be with someone that looks smashing in athletic wear."

Very cool, almost pink floydy like synths

I loved this album. Weird and synthy and completely unexpected. Need to spend more time with the lyrics but the songs remind me a little of They Might Be Giants, Jonathon Coulton, and Harry Nilsson

Enjoyable. Mix of Bowie, Father John Misty, Beatles, Pink Floyd

This sucked. It was like middle-school affirmation poetry set to forgettable music. Dude, try some subtlety. Try some metaphor. Try some allegory. Try anything that you might have learned in 8th grade English. Reciting your feelings with an echo and backed by some dreamy guitar does not an artist make. Look, there are a lot of artists out there who can A) say everything you're trying to say; and B) actually make music that people want to listen to, and that can work on several different levels. Take my girl T-Swift, for instance. Is that pop-infused fun that can be belted out while driving down the highway? A statement on late 20s angst and growing up? YES! It's both! See, that wasn't so hard! Or actually, maybe it was. Maybe that's why there's only one Tay-Tay and about a 1000 of these guys roaming the college bars in the early 2000s. Another lesson that being "edgy" takes talent - just whispering a bunch of shit doesn't make you edgy. It just makes you quiet and forgettable. Although a bonus 1/2 point for frequent mentions of planets (I guess Marz with a 'z' is "Edgy-Mars"?).

Best new (to me) music I've heard in ages.

Lovely John and lovely Midlake. Lovely electro-pop at the end.

Well that was, different.

What an unlistenable piece of garbage. What idiot added this to the list?

This shit sucked

Wow, how did I miss this guy? Really liked this album, guys got a real distinct sound, kinda gothy and synthy. Like the lyric work too, didn't seem to take himself too seriously

Wrote a review and lost it by mistake. It sounds a bit like Queen meets Sea Change Era Beck meets musical theatre at times. Not Zappa-like at all as some reviewers seem to comment. It's kind of morose and grim as it progresses but I don't hate that at all. There's also a very Muse/emo harmonic piano meeting depressed lyrics with strong vocals. It is, above all else, beautiful. That's the Good News gets real weird real quick with a bizarre German accent that I think is supposed to resemble Kraftwerk? It's also kind of like the I need Compliments song. That said.... it fucking slaps. Supernatural Defribulator continues this theme with an Electric-Six style electo-pop mix. Highs - Chicken Bone, Queen of Denmark, That's the Good News, Supernatural Defribulator.

TC and Honeybear reached out and grabbed me. Where Dreams Go To Die has awesome lyrics and an uncomplicated soundscape to drive the focus on the lyrics. great tune. Then right on its heels Sigourney Weaver just comes in with the silliest lyrics. This album kicks ass.

I rolled my eyes when this album first started but by the end I was fully enjoying it. Aside from sparks this is one of the more truly unique albums I’ve had. John’s folk voice singing Weird Al but edgy lyrics in a indie rock/pop album was a really interesting combination. All of the songs were good but sigourney weaver, jesus hates faggots, and the last couple songs really stood out

Classic Rock? Folk Rock? Pudding Rock? I liked it!

Don't know this at all so first time of listening. Initial thoughts are why haven't I heard this before! Great songs and a lovely voice. The story behind the album is great too. Superfans helping out their idol! Some lovely songs and he has a lovely tone to his voice. The lyrics are poignant and heart rending at times. Absolutely love it. Highlights "Where Dreams Go To Die" "Marz" "Sigourney Weaver" "Jesus Hates Faggots" "Outer Space" "Caramel" and "Queen Of Denmark". In Fact I don't think there is a bad song on the album. Wow that's a great album and rightfully placed on this list in my opinion. Love it so much I bought it for my collection.

Amazing lyrics.. Good laugh when high

Boy, this one was a bit of a rollercoaster. It's a collab with Midlake and they're amazing talents so it sounds great. But there are several problematic things with this album. Grant's lyrics are often just ridiculous and out of synch with his delivery. The song "Sigourney Weaver" has a line that goes, "I feel like Winona Rider in that one movie about vampires. She never got the accent right and neither did that one guy." And the song "Chicken Bones" is just utterly ridiculous. On top of that, several bits of music are directly bitten from other artists. "Where Dreams Go To Die" hinges on the musical hook from "Across The Universe" by The Beatles and it just goes downhill from there. Which is a shame because it's a good listen ... until you start to really listen.

You're overreaching.

This album runs on “guy who loves the Beatles” energy, which doesn’t really grab me at all. It’s not like it’s BAD, it’s just pretty well-treaded territory and not particularly interesting or engaging to me. Usually an album like this is very lyrics-first but those weren’t even super interesting (except releasing a flurry of slurs towards the end). Def in the 2 star range, which for me is “not going to ever seek it out but I’m not going out of my way to turn it off if it’s playing somewhere”

Did a child write these songs? Those were the stupidest lyrics I think Ive ever heard. This is bad music.

I've never heard of him before but this album really spoke to me. He has a gorgeous voice and the instrumentation here is lush and beautiful. The lyrics are the kind of wry, witty observational humor that I love too.

This album is the diary of person who has faced alienation his entire life. And the songs bring those emotions to life in a fantastic piece of work.

Lovely!

What even is this? Is it folk? Pop? Rock? I finally figured it out when I got to track 5, “Chicken Bones”… John Grant is They Might Be Giants. Or close enough. Fan-blanking-tactic lyrics. Fun music. Great vocals. I’ll be spinning this one again.

Didn't know what to expect. I liked this a lot!

The track Sigourney Weaver fukkin rocks.

Wow, absolutely fantastic. First 5 I've given to a fresh album on this list.

This album was really interesting, and had a really varied sound. I could have pinned individual songs as being from like 4 different decades. Everything is well-crafted. It's probably not an album that I'm going to come back to because its not particularly my genre, but it's really good for what it is 4/5

A good album if you are feeling too happy and want that to change

A few surprising gems in the latter half.

The tone of this album is insane. It goes from melancholy sadness to joking about Ripley killing xenonorphs to spewing slurs (I get the point but man that is quite a set of sentences). The bizarre New Orleans parade instrumentation in “Silver Platter Club” is comical, but is it supposed to be? That’s what I don’t get about this album. Musically it’s actually kinda great. I was prepared to hate this but the singing and playing is really excellent and the composition is fun. The lyrics go from normal lyrics to teenage poetry, but again that might be intentional. This is a weird but good album. I wouldn’t turn it off if it was on.

I agree with Charlie completely on this— a surprise album that has lots of family resemblance to a writing style that quickly got canonized in Father John Misty, Jonathan Coulton, etc— and one which I still can see writers today using liberally— this deadpan, literal, referential style which never leaves character. Feels like it’s 50% of the way to being a Lonely Island song, but it stops short of cracking a smile. I’m lukewarm to that kind of thing generally, but this writing feels less abrasive and more truly depressed than those other examples. And it’s just pleasant to listen to. I’m happy I got introduced to this, absolutely. I remember Midlake! They did a serviceable job, nothing exceptional. I’m glad this exists, 3/5

I think that rampant homophobia, the christian theocracy and general bigotry is a huge problem not just in the US, but world-wide. I don't doubt Mr. Grant had a tough time being gay growing up, but his garrulous use of slurs that don't apply to him comes off like a vapid suburban teen and the music suffers for it. There's something so frustrating about a white man using the N-word like this. It's so tone deaf and insipid. It's lazy. If you want to shock people, learn word play, don't just rattle off a string of slurs. I can see how this music would appeal to some folks, but I just can't looks past the painfully simple, skin deep musicality. This music borrows a little too much from the music that inspired it. Entire riffs and motifs are pulled from other songs 30 years prior. I think my major problem with music from the last couple decades on this list is a lack of measurable impact they have on music today. This music has already aged fairly poorly, it's not classic at all. Are there bands out there today citing this album as being seminal for them? Perhaps there are, and I'm just not clued in. Very possible.

2 Sterne, weil ich bei ca. 2 Liedern nicht fast eingeschlafen bin

Seeing the album come up on my list, I was surprised to find an offering that I'd never heard of before. The first track was god musically, but I was surprised by the casual vocals and vague story. And that was about as good as the record got. Each track seemed like Grant roughed out his lyrics as he wrote, but never got any further. Like Ryan Adams' Gold the other day, I couldn't believe this made the list. Attempts at wit fell flat or were just puerile - not everyone can be Sparks. In the end I'm glad to have heard the album - often, we musicians overthink our writing and self-edit because it's not good enough. Apparently, some artists can just wing it and have their albums recommended as "must listen". I don't know anything about the rest of Grant's catalogue, but I'll pass.

cant stand his voice + the lyrics are awful, he’s trying to be poetic or funny (“I feel just like Winona Ryder / In that movie about vampires / And she couldn’t get the accent right / Neither could that other guy”) but its just cringy

This entire album feels predictable in its melodies and lazy in its lyrics. Like not in a guilty pleasure bumblegum pop way. In a guy doesn’t realize he isn’t all that deep way. In a guy doesn’t realize he has written a parody song of a type of guy way. You can’t just lean on the subject of your confessional folk pop album and not follow it up with any talent. I was willing to give this a 2 bc at least some of it sounds pretty but then he just said a bunch of slurs for no real reason.

Hm, konnte mich nicht darauf einlassen.

This guy is hyped to shit on UK radio, and I've never figured out why. The Midlake connection also piqued my interest. Unfortunately... solid 2 until the 5th track which is godawful and it only gets worse from there; a real shitshow unfurls. Good voice, sure, but the whole "quirky tortured soul" shtick only works if you have a few songs to back it up, otherwise it's just boring and embarrassing; the sub-Eagles production values don't help either (I feel similarly about Rufus Wainwright). For a song that uses his vocal skills for good, check out "Kindling" with Elbow (believe it or not). Re: Midlake - proves once again that Tim Smith had all the talent. His new(er) band "Harp" continue his effective Fairport simulacrum, with my approval. John Grant is another example of "Fun Lovin' Criminals" syndrome: utter turds that can't get arrested in the US having to scrape a living in the UK assisted by inscrutably sycophantic local media As a wiser and wittier man than I said on this website: "This is the type of wank that Mark Chapman saved us from". Amen brother

Man, I've got better ways to spend a Saturday than listening to this.

Inventive, interesting. Disarmingly simple in execution. Novel without being overly quaint or precious. “Sogourney Weaver” is my new favorite song.

beautiful, hilarious, heart wrenching, honest. the first i’ve heard of John Grant and this is now on my deserted island list. loved every second.

Me sonaba Marz. Me ha gustado mucho. Indie folksoft rock.

HL: "Marz", "Where Dreams Go To Die", "Silver Platter Club", "Sigourney Weaver", "Jesus Hates F******", & the title track Yeah some of the lyrics are distracting & a little corny, but when dressed in such stellar & intricate pop rock, I can overlook it. Because there are *many* 70's albums, and few albums from the 2010s in the book, having "Queen of Denmark" represent the later decade when it has so much more in common with the earlier one (shades of John Cale/Harry Nilsson/some "Wish You Were Here" synths) is a choice. But good luck finding an album from the 70s that deals with sexuality & anxiety so frankly. February 14, 2023

Fav songs: - Outer Space - Where Dreams Go To Die - Chicken Bones - Jc Hates Faggots

Primero lo pensé como una mezcla entre Perfume Genius y Weyes Blood (por lo que he escuchado, pues). Me gustó ese tonito melancólico, pero de repente un poco subido de ánimo y tempo, jaja, también la voz del John Grant. Luego le puse atención a las letras y me pareció un letrista estupendo. Después volví a escuchar y me di cuenta de que es de estos discos que me gustan mucho. Hay letras llegadoras, sí, pero también las hay medio bobas como "I wish I had the brain of a Tyrannosaurus Rex so that I wouldn't have to deal with all this crap". También, sorprendente la mención a Eduardo Verástegui (!) como referente de masculinidad. En fin, favs: "Marz", "It's Easier" y "Jesus Hates Faggots". "Silver Platter Club" también está buena, sobre todo para el wokismo. 10/10

Wow! I had never even heard of this album until it popped up in the generator and I was blown away. John Grant is a man of enormous vocal talent and his voice carries this album through songs that are serious, silly, personal, and preposterous. I wish I had found this album sooner. It would have been on steady rotation for a decade.

amazing, spectacular, beautiful. 5/5

I've already listened 4 times 5/5

Excellent mix of meaningful lyrics and irony. Great ballad like songs

Jag har helt missat The Czars men anar att jag verkligen missat något. Mot alla odds känns det varken pretentiöst eller segdraget, utan ystert, naturligt och begåvat. Heja!

Nice

LOVED it.

Why have I not heard this album before? I thought it was going to be another bedwetter with an acoustic guitar and a piano, but boy, was I fucking wrong. An absolutely beautiful album. The lyrics are incredible.

Love the piano. Really dynamic and a lot of interesting bits

First time ever listen. Stunning album. The titular song is such a powerful song.

Really liked this

Wow! He just puts it out there. All this catharsis sung with a beautiful voice and great backing. JC Hates Faggots is the most unsubtle song I've ever heard. Then he follows it up with a straightforward love song which is then succeeded by a late night, whiskey-soaked break-up song.

One of my favourite artists and albums. An artist who keeps me on my toes with each new release.

Never heard of this album, or artist, before but it was really great. Very, very cool.

What a great surprise at the end of the year... I really liked the songs! I didn't know the artist, and it stayed with me all weekend.

Love this

This was a big surprise. Cross between Father John Misty and Harry Nillson

Damn this one took me on a ride. This guy has such an impressive knack for melody, harmony, telling narrative through instrument choice, supporting a theme, tasteful and focused embellishment, and a palpably Frank sincerity to his writing.... I could gush about this on and on. The haunting, dramatic vocal sweeps on TC & Honeybear by both John and the operatic backing vocalist. The brilliantly tongue-in-cheek Silver Platter and its fanciful, almost cartoonish use of brass and wind to underscore a very particular mood. The beautifully heartfelt Caramel that could just as easily be interpreted to sing the praise of a lover of John's or of his own eventual self acceptance. The infectious contempt in the dark synth textures on Jesus Hates Faggots, mirroring the vitriol of John's parental figure on the chorus and surely that of his own response to such hate.... I could go on, everything seems so well considered. I vibe with all of it and relate to much of it. I love this. I will listen again, I will listen to his other records, I will see him live. Incredible. Highlights: Caramel, TC & Honeybear, Silver Platter Lowlights: nothing.

This is the case of an album, that gets better after every listening. It's a very charming record, that has many surprises hidden in very irreverent and full of humour tracks. The album is defined by the last, self-titled song, Queen of Denmark. An epic melody, in the essence of folk, with its quirky lyrics, perfectly symbolises how good and different the record is. John Grant has a great voice, but his true ability is to write and transform the lyrics into amazing pieces, but keeping it down to earth at the same time. I will need many more listening sessions with this album to truly rate it, but until then I'm happy to give it a highest possible note.

Me sonaba Marz. Me ha gustado mucho. Indie folksoft rock

This album is a great example of why I signed up for this project. I'm just going to post the lyrics to the chorus of the track, Sigourney Weaver, which nestles itself as track #4 on John Grant's glorious album, Queen of Denmark. That way, you'll know instantly if you're remotely interested in engaging with this acoustic rock masterpiece released in 2010 or if you're happy living a life of mediocrity and disappointment. And I feel just like Sigourney Weaver When she had to kill those aliens And that one guy had to bring them back to earth And she couldn't believe her ears Note: However you imagine the song sounding, you're wrong. Check it out while researching the incredible backstory of this amazing artist.

This was much better than I was expecting, knowing nothing about it. I am reluctant to give it a 5 but i'm not sure i like giving it a 4 either

I don't always know what he's talking about, but I'm feeling the feels. Not my favorite John Grant album, but still great!

Antes de escucharlo, estuve pensando en David Bowie (?). No sé si eso influyó, pero mucho de este disco me dio las mismas vibras que “Space Oddity”. Tiene letras muy bonitas también.

Glad to be turned on to this artist. Hadn’t heard of him, and his lyrics are clever and music is unique and good.

A really beautiful, lovely album. For me, an undiscovered gem!

Already one of my favourites. Everyone should listen to this album. It's funny, tragic, and thought provoking.

Oh! Quelle surprise!The vocals are gorgeous! Lush, and enthralling. The instrumentation is magical. What an incredible combo. It slaps you in the face immediately with its point of view and personality on TC and Honeybear. I'm a huge fan of quirky, oddball, weirdo lyrics presented with straight up earnestness and unapologetic frankness. This is the niche divergent music I am so grateful for. A true hidden gem. I absolutely hate this album cover though. It's so awful and creepy, it does the beautiful music on this album no justice whatsoever and probably alienates a lot of potential listeners. I wasn't excited about it when I saw it. I dreaded it actually. What a pleasant surprise though, I'm glad I gave it a chance.

I had never heard of John Grant or this album, but I love it. Warm, melodic and fun music, ranging from folk to more poppy stuff, and fantastic lyrics.

Fucking brilliant album

Never heard of him. I’m on my 10th listen in 2 days. Really really enjoyable.

I very much enjoyed Midlake’s “Trials of Van Occupanther” album when it was released in 2006, so I was interested when I read they were the band for this John Grant album. Hadn’t hear of The Czars or John Grant, but his story seems pretty interesting. This did not disappoint. They music is lovely. The songs hard-hitting. It’s quite a combination. I’m listening to a gorgeously arranged musical selection and realize the chorus is singing “Baby, you’re where dreams go to die. I regret the day your lovely carcass caught my eye.” This album is filled with incredible lyrics: “I need a mongoose baby and some Calgon to take me up outta here.” “I feel just like Winona Ryder in that movie about vampires and she couldn’t get the accent right; and neither could that other guy.” “I wish I had the brain of a tyrannosaurus rex so I wouldn’t have to deal with all this crap.” This is a unique and beautiful album that gave me laughs, jolts and tears and I’m here for it.

14th December 2022 Listened throughout the day on a busy work day. Haircut and baking in the evening. Loved this. Raw emotion, personal, Bowie-esque at times. Beautiful album.

This album is so interesting and I love it. I learned this phrase: give/hand sth to sb on a (silver) platter

Holy cow...When MOJO says “instant Classic” you can believe them! A masterpiece of songcraft and sonic invention. I’d give this more stars if I could...

Very fun album!

FIVE STARS This is exactly the sort of stuff I signed for. Discovering great stuff I had never hear or even heard of before. Because even if you haven't heard anything about John Grant before, chances are that his first solo album is that type of record that is bound to stay with you when you've finished listening to it--granted that the artist ticks all those proverbial idiosyncratic boxes of yours. And John Grant does for this writer here. Already a great piano player blessed with a tenor voice that does wonders throughout this first album, Grant is also an arresting songwriter who has quite a precise story to tell here, transcending his assets as a musician and delivering a gem that didn't receive enough praise at the time of its release. The former leader of the Czars (who took a four-year break from music after the demise of his band) is indeed *not* your usual seventies-type folk-rock balladeer, even though he mostly draws on this codified tradition. And this very creative paradox is only one among many. A gay man raised in a conservative home in Michigan and Colorado, Grant had certainly gone through hard times when *Queen Of Demmark* was released in 2010: alcoholism, childhood trauma, troubles to deal with his sexual orientation, and most of all, a difficult separation with an anonymous lover. So the bulk of *Queen Of Denmark* is a break-up album, sure, but one that comes with *huge* twists when compared with other examples in this genre. And the biggest twist is that the self-deprecating Grant often comes off as a very personal lyricist here, either penning hilarious one-liners or dropping mordant observations about himself or his characters. Rarely have break-up albums been this lively. Part-Stephen Merritt, part-Gene Clark, part-Elton John, part-Nick Cave and part-Nick Drake, John's vocabulary can only be his nonetheless, rendering those tentative comparisons moot once you delve further into his art. On the lighter side of things, this knack for off-kilter, yet *killer* words allowed him to record instant hits such as the novelty parody "On A Silver Platter" or "Sigourney Weaver"--a track fooling around with the song narrator's identification to female Hollywood figures such as Weaver's Ellen Ripley or Winona Ryder, helping him deal with his feelings of being an outcast for eternity. Grant's talent is even more impressive on devastating tracks such as "JC Hates Faggots", where a gay man roasts his father's toxic and traumatic influence on him. And the harshness of the title-track, concluding this record, is just plain unforgettable. Grant sure passes off as a piece of work on this one. But those flaws are also what allow him to write great songs. And they absolve him of unfair accusations of cynicism (some reviewers at the time certainly *didn't* get the themes of the album at all). This particular talent as a lyricist wouldn't be as effective as it is if Grant had not also taken painstaking care in creating a musical canvas that is equally luminous and heartbreaking thoughout the record. The piano riff and chorus of "Marz", as deceptively simple as they sound, are instantly catchy. Grant often modulates harmonies from minor to major modes and back, weaving heratwrenching, bittersweet atmospheres. Apart from piano and guitars, some weird yet often very melodic synth lines and arrangements also bring a color at key moments of many songs, bringing a welcome respite from the overall intensity displayed in some of those tracks. Kudos for the Midlake band for serving as a backing band for Grant and helping him shape those awesome songs--legend has it that without Midlake, Grant wouldn't have returned to music, and we can all be thankful to them for being so supportive. After John Grant released *The Queen Of Denmark*, the artist moved back to Europe (where he had lived before), was diagnosed HIV-positive, ended up in Iceland, settled with a new guy there, and, more importantly for us as listeners, dabbled into some even *weirdest* music languages, some sort of synth pop with a bend for high concepts and elaborate layerings (some enlightening, others a little too obscure for this writer maybe--interestingly, this subsequent high-brow-yet-campy direction is foretold in the bonus tracks in some editions of *The Queen of Denmark*, less remarkable, but still a good fun). It seems that as bizarre and eccentric those albums are, John looks like a happy middle-aged man now. We can all be happy for him. And no matter what happens now or next, he's still left us an incredible first album. This album stemmed from clear pain, no doubt about that. But the pleasure it can still give you today makes such pain 100% worthwhile now.  Number of albums left to review or just listen to:  more than 900, I've temporarily lost count here Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens:  approximately a half so far (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: a quarter Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): the last quarter

Superb album. He's an amazing lyricist and musician, and just when you think you know what you're getting, you get so much more in the last third of the album.

Beautiful strings and pianos fill in the rainy soundscape of this album, while John floats modern classic lyrics and vocal delivery on the foam layer of this artisinal coffee.

Ever since I saw John Grant on telly perform Marz live at Glastonbury, I've loved his music. Taking Marz as an example- on the surface it's a long list of sweet treats overlaying a pretty basic chord progression. Scratch the surface though and it has things to say about abrahamic images of heaven being entirely based around male adult fantasy. 80,000 servants and 72 virgins or a trip to your favourite sweet shop?

Just…. Brilliant. I was engrossed in every second of this project. I need more of this.

I had no idea what to expect from this, but I love it. The confessional, surreal, often darkly humourous lyrics are beautifully complimented by the gentle folk rock with just the right amount of experimental elements and Grant's easy, evocative vocal. 5/5

omg love, love, love

Very weird album, but in the best way. Super