Puggy set to conquer the world

An album you might like

Paris 

24/08/2010 - 

It’s been the stuff of fairy tales for Puggy. In the space of five years, the Belgian trio has already played at some of the biggest venues in Europe. In Paris, their record house Mercury relaunched the sub-label Casablanca for them, to be run by publisher and mentor Olivier Lefebvre. Puggy have earned the release of a glossy new album, like a second wind.

Right from its title, Something you Might Like promises to please. This is Puggy’s first album produced by a major label (the previous one, Duboid Died Today, came out on an independent Belgian label), and it is a masterpiece of intensity and precision. British singer Matthew Irons spins ou t catchy lyrics enrobed in a musical score that is luminous, subtle and varied, aided by accomplice musicians, Frenchman Romain Descampe on bass, and Swede Egil “Ziggy” Franzén on drums.

When you Know opens the album with flashes of psychedelic rock, jazz and classical, and a strong piano and trumpet undertow. Their music rolls out with finesse and harmony, looping round and nestling in the brain like a jewel in its box. When the group lays on the guitar, bass and drums, they build up cascades of couplets and choruses and overlay vocal parts, harmonic effects and powerful rhythms, sending the drums to chase the piano at breakneck speed on Teaser.

Puggy explore new rhythmic territories in their carefully constructed songs. They may be Belgian, but the trio’s inspiration comes from British groups like Muse, XTC, Dexy’s Midnight Runners and Supergrass. There is also an obvious baroque pop and mod legacy, and the influence of Swedish choirs, where tuneful singing is measured by the amount of vodka downed. Brought up on jazz and blues, Matthew, the mellifluous crooner, puts his whole heart into Not a Thing Left Alone and stretches his vocal cords on the track I do. The group has an energy reminiscent of power pop combos like Weezer, and plays at breaking the rhythm in mild, sensual and sentimental songs like She Kicks Ass or the schizophrenic How I Needed you.

Lucky meetings

The group got on the right tracks from the start, following a series of lucky meetings in Belgium. The Parisian label Mercury, run by Olivier Nusse, gave them the opportunity to record at the ICP studio in Brussels with experts Erwin Autrique (Benjamin Biolay) on sound recording and Mark Plati (David Bowie, Louise Attaque) on mixing.

Prior to the studio, they performed in a bunch of festivals like Reading in the UK and Benicassim in Spain, and played support act to some giants like US group Incubus. "In Belgium, we sold our own albums. With no media backing, we built up a base of 400 fans who moved round the country to see us play," says Matthew.

The American dream had already occurred for Puggy during a three-month stint in the UK. "We learned a lot about the business. You play for thirty minutes and not one minute more. If you go over, the front sound is cut, which teaches you a lesson." Rubbing shoulders with the stars on stage appealed to Matthew’s father, one-time regular of legendary London nightclubs like the Troubadour. "My father reminded me that he had seen Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and The Who play in the same London venues we played in. Now my parents are reassured to see that the group is a on professional career path."

Puggy Something you Might Like (Casablanca/Mercury) 2010

Concert on 8 November 2010 at La Cigale, Paris.

David  Glaser

Translation : Anne-Marie  Harper