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Merz: Moi et Mon Camion

27th March 2008 | by Aidan Williamson

Somebody clearly isn't respecting the business model here! Everybody knows that if you're a singer/songwriter you go to a vocal coach, audition for Pop Idol, then surrender your fate into the hands of people who wish they could take the unpredictability of art out of the music industry.

These people are the people you depend on. They cook your meals, they haul your trash, they connect your calls, they drive your ambulances. They guard you while you sleep. All the while they scribble down notes with the familiar shape of the guitar case slung over their shoulder. Where people see a cafe, they see inspiration. Where you see a road-sign, they see a song title. When you tread in dog crap, they see an irrefutable metaphor

Credit to Merz, (aka Conrad Lambert) he walked away from a major label deal in 1999, opting instead to, as he says, "going off the beaten track / 'cause somewhere out there's my story." Good idea or bad idea, it still shows that Lambert is serious about his craft and feels he has something special to offer to his audience which he wishes to impart untainted by commercialised hands.

With "Moi et Mon Camion" (lit. 'Me and My Lorry') he can proudly say he stands up with the Jack Johnson's, the Katie Melua's, the Richard Hawley's, the Leona Lewis' and the James Blunt's of the world. The only problem being that a lot of people really hate the aforementioned artists.

A fair stab is made at variety, title track "Moi et Mon Camion" pits the usual duo of the wavering voice with arpeggiated acoustic guitar, whereas "Cover Me" ramps up the electronic excesses with ethereal backing vocals and an army of instruments surrounding the singer. All of these though, are standard practice for such a styled musician in the endeavour to not let their craft become stale through repeated lo-fi soundscapes.

What results from the experience is a sense of honesty and integrity, which despite not being the endlessly gripping type still serves to keep your mind occupied for the best part of an hour. Such a display is unlikely to please the executives of the world, so he will likely remain the undiscovered champion of the cause, an earnest gladiator of a losing battle.

Rating:  6 / 10