Le Concorde - Universe and Villa

There's a subtle undercurrent of mad glee that runs through Universe and Villa, singer/songwriter Stephen Becker's second Le Concorde release, a subtlety that peels away with each repeated listen. This is grandly arranged -- yet deceptively simple -- metropolitan pop music in the vein of the Beautiful South, Belle & Sebastian and the Magnetic Fields that oozes enough self-deprecating wit, good-natured cynicism, and pure-pop posturing to satisfy both Morrissey and Fountains of Wayne fans alike. Tailor-made for late night, summer-in-the-city driving, Becker's meandering voice can be both fey and brutal -- "I Hate Rock and Roll" -- but it's his soaring falsetto that's the record's most dangerous weapon. The mesmerizing "Controlling," with its Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie-channeling-Prince, arcs from nearly spoken word to full-on banshee wail (the album's high point), while the ABC-inspired "Archeology of Cruelty" shows an artist who is unafraid to challenge his listener's adherence to the "genre-fication" of indie rock. While Universe and Villa may not hit the mark all the time, it hits a couple of moments within each song every time. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide

Name Credits Dave Cottini Drums, Percussion Ed Tinley Programming, Audio Production, Producer, Keyboards, Percussion, Piano, Engineer, Piano (Electric), Jupiter 8, Wurlitzer, Bass, Chamberlin Ellis Clark Keyboards, Piano, Cymbals, Engineer, Guitar (Acoustic), Piano (Electric), ?, Harmonica, Bass, Vocals (Background), Tambourine, Percussion, Producer Emily Lazar Mastering Emily Wilson Photography Eric Chial Guitar (Bass), Bass Jeff Greaves Fender Rhodes John Ashton Guitar (Electric) Kevin Tihista Vocals (Background) Mars Williams Saxophone Phil Angotti Vocals Saverio Truglia Photography Sheila Sachs Cover Photo, Design Stephen Becker Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals, Tubular Bells, Fairlight CMI, Telecaster, Keyboards, Simmons Drums, Drum Programming, Voice Box, Bass (Electric), Vocals, Bird Calls, Sound Effects, Tympani [Timpani], Piano, Guitar (Steel), Guitar, Guitar (Nylon String), Wurlitzer, Producer, Roland Synthesizer, Field Recording, ?, Jupiter 8, Programming, Wind Chimes, Guitar (Synthesizer) Steven Gillis Drums Suzie Lee Hair Stylist, Make-Up Tom Clark Drums