NATHAN ROCHE - 35 Rue du Théâtre LP

Highly recommended.

At the peak of full swing mid-life crisis mode booting down the door, wide-eyed with a bottle of wine in his hands
 Nathan Roche returns with his sixth solo record and hands you both. An excellent collection of songs from the C.I.A Debutante and Le Villejuif Underground songwriter.

In late 2024 having returned to Australia for an emergency 40+ date concert tour of the country, time was found to lay down these 14 wildly varied avant-rock-dog experiments with long-time collaborator and spiritual guru Joseph Ireland.

The opening track “Bendola” recalls Charles Manson’s musical explorations in and out of prison or Hazelwood acid-drenched, brainwashed hiking on holiday in the country side
where as “Last Straw”, “J’en Ai Marre” or “C’est Inutile” conjure a Beasts of Bourbon/Captain Beefheart FNQLD drawl of furious skate-punk in a way to end all discussions of expats singing French love songs in the spoken-word vein of Gainsbourg but rather spat out like furious snake venom.

From unrecorded concept records in the desert, to possibly the first and only song written about R. M Williams shoes and how their soles may contribute to your very own soul, turning 35 years old and finally assuming the designated role of you are what you are.

Odd quick observations, strange bent angles of looking at the world no doubt with a whimsical satiric grin as to perhaps suggest, “all the world is a stage, we are merely players”, filled with consistent trips, dips, scene changes and side turns into cosmic baroque Tolkien territory, no doubt inspired by his surreal life in La Vallée de la Roya, (and well presented with the gloriously illustrated album artwork by Luke Player) full Las Vegas-style horn-sections, and Memphis girl-group backing vocals to guide the journey in multiple unanticipated directions always with a fresh gully breeze to push things along and rattle the branches.