At last, a purveyor of the potentially portentous proves that he has a sense of humour. That man is Swiss composer Anthony Cedric Vuagniaux and his album “Le Clan des Guimauves” exudes both sixties’ grooviness and a fondness for the heyday of film and television soundtracks (which was, as all connoisseurs know, was the early seventies).
The bizarre backstory that underpins these fifteen songs is something to do with a band of alien gypsies with big noses but, as with all caricatures, it is the emphasis rather than the substance that leads you towards the answer. Underneath the, no doubt deliberately, forced oddball take on all that was is a clever and reverential homage to the works of Ennio Morricone and John Barry with “La Mort De Naïve” and “Marisa” providing more than enough evidence of the affection that Mr. Vuagniaux has for the masters.
So, with a tip of the hat to the past and no small amount of effort, Anthony Cedric Vuagniaux has taken the sounds of the past and made them fresh and entertaining again. That, as all lovers of bow ties will attest, is nothing less than commendable.
The album is available from Bandcamp.