Contra Mundum, Volume I
- Artist: J.D. Boucharde
- Album released in 2005
- Genres: Acoustic, Alternative, Electro | DJ, Jazz, Rock
Hometown CD Review 1-19-06
Album: Contra Mundum, Vol. I, 2005
Contra Mundum is a mishmash of musical styles and recorded sounds. Each song is centered around skillful piano work, but all have a noise effect, chorus, or backup instruments.
"Mathilda May (Lust)" features a harmonica and singers belting out a cheery "bop bop bop." The title suggests prurient content, but the song is shiny and adolescent. At the end of the song, the backup voices slow down and grind to a halt like a merry-go-round that's been switched off and is rotating half a turn until it winds down very slowly. Behind that, a woman screams...very confused stuff. Other songs include snippets of television shows, a scratchy recording of a child singing, and a long train whistle.
The lyrics vacillate from noir pleadings to an abusive father on "Daddy Please" to schmaltzy sentimental syrup on "Tears of Angels": "Your tears made all the angels cry and the stars hid their faces as they sighed / Take my head into your hands, and let me say, 'I love you, and I'm sorry for the rain.' "
This CD is about abuse, addiction, and rebirth, but it's set to misaligned, peppy music with a few melancholy piano ballads that feature background sound effects. (Sounds confused, doesn't it?)