ÇA VA

This comeback from 1998 sees a mature Slapp Happy making contemporary music and utilizing modern sounds. Not avant garde at all, this is a collection of understated pop songs utilizing modern keys and drum loops. Dagmar Krause's vocals are very restrained, especially for her- at times she reminds me of Nico or Marianne Faithfull, with Massive Attack and Brian Eno backing her! Not the most apt comparison, perhaps, but somewhat indicative of the kind of production used on this record. The lyrics still carry a little bite, as on the first track where Krause invites her lover to scar her emotionally for life. Not a prog record in any sense, but a good, unembarrassing album of melodic mid-tempo pop by three musicians who have aged gracefully.