SONG OF THE DAY (#257)

'it's a wonderful li[f]e,' by [the real] tuesday weld

tin pan alley revivalist stephen coates, a.k.a. [the real] tuesday weld, released his most recent effort, 'the london book of the dead,' last august. i was a big fans of his two previous albums, 'the return of the clerkenwell kid' and 'i, lucifer,' so i had high hopes for the new one. while it didn't immediately grab me like those two albums, it's still a really great record and i'm completely mystified as to why this dood isn't more popular, or at least more well known. his song 'the ugly and the beautiful' got some play on fx's 'nip/tuck,' but it didn't seem to help gain any traction. shame, that. he certainly deserves more recognition.

if you're not familair with him already, stephen coates studied visual arts at university before leaving that field and turning to music. he's been fairly prolific since the turn of the century, releasing five proper albums and a slew of e.p.'s. he's one of those artists who really doesn't really sound like anyone else working these days, and in his case it's a good thing. he's a very skilled musician and arranger. he cites britain-based band leader al bowlley as a primary influence, though you could make comparisons to the likes of burt bacharach and serge gainsbourg [but without the sleeze]. but whatever comparisons you want to make, he's a singular artist with a unique sound and i think you'll dig 'em. in fact, were i a gambling man i'd wager some major coin you end up loving him.

��� [the real] tuesday weld: it's a wonderful li[f]e
��� [the real] tuesday weld: i believe