LIFE IN REVERSE

Marine: Life In Reverse / Marenas Bop / Scrub 

Les Disques Du Crépuscule (1981)

It's about time this weblog brought the funk, and trust the Belgians to be the ones to bring it. 

After centuries of of minimal musical influence, Benelux bands were everywhere in the 1980s, mainly via Les Disques Du Crépuscule, one of the most successful independent labels of the era. Like their UK counterpart Factory there was no end to their pretension and ambition and the label ended up running a fancy bistro in Brussels, which is perhaps why their label name always makes me think of pancakes.

Life in Reverse features punctual bass and drums and some groovy work on at least two guitars further complemented by nondescript vocals and an incomprehensible lyric ('I'm such a happy'). This is punctuated by a bongo beat down, some party time whistles and a sax on the edge of a nervous breakdown. It's an arch and slightly self-conscious record, as if the group are aware that they are potentially summoning mutilated ghosts from Leopold IIIs evil 'rubber regime' in the Congo.

Marenas Bop and Scrub are cut from the same cloth, well played but clearly dashed off jams with the brass playing (or at least hinting at) all the interesting parts.  

There's something about a muddy white funk record that brings to mind school discos of the time, a hazy recollection of tinny music in a cavernous halls, darkness, hormones, quiet corners where secret cider was surreptitiously imbibed, dry kisses were given and received. Someone once said that, for the majority of soldiers, war is something that is always happening just up ahead. They can sense it, perhaps even hear it and smell it, but they never see it first hand. I've forgotten the point I was trying to make, something about discos and war. Do write in if you have any idea where I was going with that.