Got A Girl - I Love You But I Must Drive Off This Cliff Now

Die erste Vorladung (XIV)

Personalien:

Die Schauspielerin Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) hat es, wie u.a. ihre Kolleginnen Jennifer Lawrence und Kirsten Dunst, dieser Tage nicht leicht. Aber wir wollen hier nicht über ihre privaten Fotos sprechen, sondern über Got A Girl, die Band, die sie zusammen mit dem  Produzenten Dan 'The Automator' Nakamura (Kasabian, Miles Kane, Gorillaz) 2012 gegründet hat.

Tathergang: 

Die Wege von Mary Elizabeth Winstead und Daniel Nakamura kreuzten sich bei den Aufnahmen von "Event 2", dem Album von Deltron 3030, das Nakamura produzierte und auf dem Winstead zwei Songs sang und während der Dreharbeiten von "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World", an dessen Soundtrack Dan The Automator mitarbeitete. Winstead gestand Nakamura, dass sie ein Fan von ihm sei, Nakamura fragte Winstead, ob sie zusammen mit ihm Musik machen wolle. So schnell gründet man eine Band.
Erste musikalische Lebenszeichen von Got A Girl waren 2013 die Songs "You And Me (Board Mix)" und "I'm Down", die beide nicht auf dem Album vertreten sind.

"I Love You But I Must Drive Off This Cliff Now" sollte eigentlich bereits im Januar erscheinen, wurde dann aber auf den Sommer verschoben. Zunächst wurden im Juni und Juli die Singles "Did We Live Too Fast" und "There's A Revolution" veröffentlicht. Auf dem Albumtrack "Put Your Head Down" ist Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle) zu hören.   

Plädoyer:

Eine Drittel Lana del Rey, zwei Drittel 1960s French Pop (Françoise Hardy, Jane Birkin, Brigitte Bardot). Fertig ist der unaufgeregte, entspannte, mit jazzig-swingenden Einlagen und James Bond-Momenten versehene Lounge-Pop von "I Love You But I Must Drive Off This Cliff Now". Den Retro-Chic ihrer Platte setzen Winstead und Nakamura vom Plattencover bis hin zu den Videos konsequent um. Unglaublich, dass auf den Song "La La La" ein Lied namens "Da Da Da" folgt!

Zeugen: 

Together, the duo has created something that is elegant, moody, and nostalgic without dwelling too much on the past. Winstead’s sweetly aloof vocals paired with Nakamura’s sweeping and detailed instrumentals come together for a sound that’s cinematic and delightful.
The album opens with chiming bells on “Did We Live Too Fast,” a slinky, sultry song about trying to avoid reality by living through sweet fantasies. Though Winstead’s range does not seem impressive, it’s her vocal control that really garners attention – she can go from breathy to playful to seductive with minimal effort. On the production side, orchestral movements are anchored by Nakamura’s low-key hip hop rhythms. Deep bass beats keep the music from being overly sugary and superficial. On “Things Will Never Be the Same”, hand percussion add to the hollowness of the song with a thundering bass line that anchors Winstead’s whispered singing. “Friday Night” plays on rhythms and instrumentation with a bit more funk, echoing languid weekend disco jams. On “Put Your Head Down,” Winstead’s wistful singing reaches gorgeous heights, paired with a lush orchestral arrangement and a deep-voiced male duet that adds something a bit more sinister on the line Hush my darling, it’s time to dream. The album saunters on elegant heels, gaining momentum in the middle from the upbeat, breezy “There’s A Revolution,” and ending with a certain note of ennui on “Heavenly,” Winstead showing off a soft vibrato paired with wispy light vocals.
(Audiofemme)

There are some nods to ABBA, strangely enough, on this disc: “Close to You” certainly has a very Swedish disco slither to it, and this might be the kind of thing you might have expected to hear at Studio 54 in its heyday. Sort of. Otherwise, though, I Love You But I Must Drive Off This Cliff Now captures the feel of a jazzy nightclub where you might wander through the building with a martini in hand. (As if the cover art wasn’t a hint enough.) Single and opening cut “Did We Live Too Fast” swirls with a feeling of the debonair: “Sipping my vodka tonic ... / I put on my makeup perfect but I let down my hair,” purrs Winstead. If it weren’t for the dancey overtones, you could imagine Nancy Sinatra putting her boots on to this.

“I’ll Never Hold You Back”, meanwhile, lazily rolls along with a trippy beat, and boasts the catchiest of catchy choruses. It drips sadness and melancholy without being overbearing. “Everywhere I Go” has swirling strings and an epic feel with a timpani bashing its way in the background. This is shaken, and not stirred. “There’s a Revolution”, on the other hand, is a handclappingly great tune, sort of the thing the Go! Team might have mined if they’d done some deep crate digging.

The album’s key strength is Winstead’s fine vocals. If you didn’t know who was singing, you might be convinced that the vocalist had a French background. Winstead successfully oozes passion and longing out her lyrics, and the result is rather stunning. If you’re familiar with Windstead’s movie roles, her vocals are going to surprise you.
(PopMatters)

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