LadyDot Review: Iceberg Club (Album)

LadyDot Review: Lamuzgueule – Iceberg Club (Album)

A real Electro Swing cosmos: iceberg, sweets and a crazy club party. Lamuzgueule album review – “Iceberg Club”

I already wrote about Lamuzgueule once, when reviewing the song “Marshmallow”. If you read that text, you know very well that I was waiting for the release of their new album. And finally this day has come, when I will be happy to tell you what I think about each of the songs on the album “Iceberg Club”. Why am I so happy about it? Because this album is a real mix of music genres, total electro swing firecracker and most of all perfectly worked out vocals and instrumental elements. So, shall we begin?

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“Stracciatella”

On the occasion of reviewing this album, I decided to recall some French vocabulary I used to learn. When I opened my old notebook and saw the word “appetizer” and next to it the French translation, which was “l’amuse-gueule”, I put the facts together and already knew what this mysterious band name was all about! So for an appetizer they prepared for us a very tasty intro with strong synths and basses in the lead role. This less than half a minute of “Stracciatella” is a perfect introduction for both the whole album and the next banger.

“Ice Cream”

You know very well that I am a huge fan of French electronic music. I’m constantly exploring the genre, delighting in it all over again. “Ice Cream” is swingwave in its pure form. I can feel a clear influence of Daft Punk (or rather their work from the beginning of the 21st century), whom I love with all my heart. If the guys from this duo continued their career, I already know who would support them at their concerts. I am serious! Great bass, subtle saxophone in the background and Deborah’s vocals – all this combined with a disco vibe makes “Ice Cream” my playlist for a long time.

“Triple Lutz”

When I was little, I really enjoyed watching figure skating on ice. And just like the skater who floats above the ground for those few seconds, I totally drift off when listening to “Triple Lutz”. It’s because of the perfectly executed mix and, above all, sudden changes of pace, which energize me a lot. The intro reminds me a bit of the works of the French duo Polo & Pan. And the saxophone, typical for electro swing, adds “that thing” to the track, which makes it impossible to stop listening to it. What I really like about this track is Romain’s accent as he sings in English – I think you should sing in that language more often, because it really sounds fantastic.

“Marshmallow”

I’ve already written a lot about this track (you can find a full review here), so I don’t think I need to repeat myself. I assure you – I still think it’s a real masterpiece, which thanks to its unexpected tempo changes and the great combination of DŽborah and Romain’s voices puts us in a fantastic swingwave trance. My husband absolutely loves this song – it’s been on our holiday playlist since “Marshmallow” was released. We often listen to this song in the car – could it be a reference to the “Marshmallow” video? If you haven’t watched it yet, you definitely need to catch up!

“L’entrŽe du club”

Lamuzgueule have used a whole host of unusual solutions in their album “Iceberg Club”. One of them is undoubtedly introducing interludes between the tracks – there are 4 of them on the album, and one of them is “L’entrŽe du club”. Such elements are a perfect introduction to the next track, especially when it has a completely different tempo. Here a lot of distortion is used, and various effects are superimposed on Romain’s voice. Do you guys also feel that the next song will be much more laid back than the frantic “Marshmallow”?

“ChamboulŽ”

You’re right! This is one of the few subdued songs found on this album. Once again we witness how perfectly the voices of DŽborah and Romain complement each other. This perfect synchronization can also be seen by watching the video for “ChamboulŽ”. Nothing is exaggerated in this song – I have the impression that this delicacy and simplicity has totally won here. Economy in the choice of sounds, fantastic parts played on synthesizers and a brass section consisting of trumpet and saxophone enchants until the end of “ChamboulŽ”.

“Ainsi dansent”

And now it’s time for a track that has been immediately on my party playlist since the release of “Iceberg Club”. I love this funky sound and strong bass beats, interspersed every now and then with fantastic electronic improvisations. Not to mention how much sunshine the brilliant melody coming out of the saxophone between choruses and stanzas gives me, thanks to Lamuzgueule, holidays last all year long!

“La biscuiterie ˆ vapeur” and “Cookie”

The intro is so short and blurs so much with the track “Cookie” that I decided not to separate them this time. To be honest, because of the fact that these two compositions are separated, I can’t figure out when one ends and the other begins – it confuses me a bit.

And now comes the moment when I once again marvel at the saxophone. Salvatore – his playing technique and the sound of this instrument used in Lamuzgueule‘s pieces reminds me very much of the Swingrowers. As you know, this is one of my favourite electro swing bands, so I savour every sound of “Cookie” – because it’s so sweet you can’t resist it!

“Telephone”

If someone played me this song and told me it was a new song by a band I really like, after listening to the intro again I would think it was the Swingrowers. With that saxophone you can really fly off into space! It’s definitely one of the stronger elements of this album – it will be in my memory for a long time. “Telephone” is a perfect combination of electronic music, electro swing and funk. I really like the reverb added to DŽborah’s voice – it sounds very fascinating and a bit psychedelic!

“GravitŽ” and “Attractions”

Of all the interludes, this is the composition that totally stole my heart. I really like this play with synthesizers in “GravitŽ”! Moreover, it connects wonderfully with the next track, which was produced by the fantastic Atom Smith from L.A. You can hear his artistic contribution in many places – for example in the intro and somewhere in the background of the verse and chorus. ÒAttractionsÓ is an absolute hit – it has everything an electro swing hit should have – surprising twists and turns, elements of the brass section and striking vocals. Again, pay attention to the mix of the whole song – here everything just fits perfectly!

“Double Axel.le”

Economical instrumentation, maximally synchronized vocals, simple beat and delicate electronics – this is how the track “Double Axel.le” can be described in a nutshell. I think that Lamuzgueule are figure skating fans, since this is yet another composition which refers to this sport. And of course to ice! Now you understand that there are simply no random elements on this album – every song is at least a little bit connected to another song that was uploaded to the “Iceberg Club” CD.

“Explorer” and “Ice Breaker”

Ahead is 37 seconds of a great disco intro – “Explorer”, which with its sunny saxophone announces something that will finally crush that ice and light a fire in our hearts, reminding us of holiday madness and hot evenings full of party adventures! “Ice Breaker”, because of course this is the song we’re talking about, is a real energy bomb full of DŽborah’s delicate yet predatory voice and Romain’s mega fast rapping. This song reminds me a lot of radio hits from the decade of the 10s of the 21st century.

“Divague”

In this song Lamuzgueule prove even more that they can find themselves perfectly in different music genres – this time in downtempo. The intro reminds me a bit of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight”, and this similarity can still be heard when somewhere in the background, in the distance, a bass guitar can be heard from time to time.

“Divague”, especially towards the end, is a bit psychedelic, dark. As I was taking notes for this review, I was driving back late in the evening from my family home. While driving in the car, my husband and I agreed that this song was perfect for a night out on the town. Be sure to listen to it on your way home from work – relaxation guaranteed!

“Fin du club (Outro)” and my short summary

This time again, I didn’t know I was listening to the outro – all the more surprised that despite so many tracks, “Iceberg Club” is already over. And I’m still craving for more, so I’m back to my favourite songs, i.e. “Ice Cream”, “Triple Lutz”, “Marshmallow”… Oh wait, actually I would have to list almost all the songs here because this album is just GENIAL!

You know what I love most about Lamuzgueule? You immediately get the impression that they really appreciate their fans – underneath the videos on YouTube they responded to practically every comment. This is really very nice!

This review was very long, but when I write about my favourite electro swing artists, I often just don’t know when to stop. Lamuzgueule has sweetened my heart, crushed the ice and rocked many of my before parties. And now it’s time for the “Iceberg Club” album to lift you even higher – maybe even into space!

Written & reviewed by LadyDot (Ja, Wizeruk) Date: 2021-11-18

Bio – LadyDot

Anna (LadyDot) was born in ’94, but always felt she came from the Golden Twenties. “Polka” in Polish means “girl from Poland”, so she’s “Polka in polka dots”. She loves vintage style and spontaneous travels around Europe. But her greatest love (apart from her husband) is of course music, especially Electro Swing.

On her own Blog www.jawizeruk.pl she writes about various music genres. She is a copywriter, so writing is her strong point. Anna likes singing (not only in the shower!) and cooking (especially Italian and Hungarian cuisine).