Louis Philippe: A Kiss In The Funhouse: The Best Of The Trattoria Years... So Far

In the early '90s, Louis Philippe achieved semi-legendary status among European pop enthusiasts by releasing several albums of intricately arranged songcraft that caught the attention of such similarly inclined artists as Saint Etienne, Pulp, and former XTC guitarist Dave Gregory (with whom he's frequently recorded). Philippe has never received a proper release in America, however, until this compilation of material recorded for the Japanese label Trattoria (also home to Cornelius). Based on these recordings, it's almost possible to see what the fuss is about, but not quite; it's easier to appreciate what Philippe strives to achieve than the results themselves. Aiming to create sophisticated pop music informed by the work of Brian Wilson, Burt Bacharach, and Serge Gainsbourg, Philippe almost gets it right, but the songs usually sound too mannered to really matter. Though French by birth, Philippe sings both in his native language and in English, his voice in the latter suggesting a mixture of Bryan Ferry, Brian Wilson, and Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy. But where Ferry invests even his portrayals of ennui with barely suppressed passion, Philippe often just sounds bored, and his music, while intriguing and evocative, is seldom enough push the songs over. Still, when he gets it right, as he does on a substantial number of A Kiss In The Funhouse's 23 tracks, it's hard not to pay attention. "Ripples In The River," for example, is as warm as Philippe gets, and its champagne-by-starlight philosophizing makes for a great song, while "Sunshine" finds more in '60s exotica than mere kitsch. A Kiss In The Funhouse may not fully justify Philippe's reputation as a legend in the making, but it does provide reason to keep listening.