Caesar Spencer – 7th Level Music

Review: Caesar Spencer – Get Out into Yourself

There’s a lot happening on Cesar Spencer‘s debut album, Get Out into Yourself.

For one thing, the influences abound. Spencer, an Englishman, was born in Peru, also has Swedish roots, and now lives most of the time in France. I think he speaks at least four languages. Meanwhile, I’m still trying to learn French and stuttering through English half the time. As a result of his multi-cultural upbringing, Spencer’s album combines a lot of styles ranging from surf rock to torch songs, and he especially shows off his love of French music (Spencer calls the album “…a love letter to France”) from the 1960s through the 1980s by collaborating with famous French musicians on the record. The mix of influences and styles is one he pulls off with ease. I don’t know how he kept track of all of it, let alone made it sound effortless.

“Hail Caesar,” with guitar assists by French rock icons Gilles Tandy and Jean Felzine, launches the album with a wild surf guitar rocker before taking a turn down a dark cobblestone road in Angers, France for “Get Out into the Pigs” – which reminds me a lot of some of Julian Cope‘s work with Spencer’s vocal style and his rumination on things past that linger in his memory.

“Isn’t That What Jimi Said” is both a lovely look back on Spencer’s childhood days in Sweden (“Sometimes the breadth of my emotion’s not covered.”) and Jimi Hendrix‘s influence on him (and everyone else, really). As if Spencer wasn’t cool enough, the next thing you know he’s singing a duet, “When I Whisper in Your Ear,” with singer, actress, and former “Miss Tahiti,” Mareva Galenter. The two of them team up for a sultry, and somewhat spooky, song that even includes siren-like sounds from opera star Aurélie Ligerot.

The thick bass on “Jane Loves the Highway” will have you tearing away from the curb as you leave the bank in a hurry with a lovely lady in the back seat holding a heavy bag and a handgun. “Everything I ever did was bad,” he says on “Requiem,” making me wonder if he and Jane are to regret their roadtrip. It has a bit of a 1960s R&B girl group sound to it (particularly in the drum beat) that’s a nice touch. “Cult of Personality” is not a cover of Living Colour‘s classic hit (although it would be interesting to hear Spencer do this). It’s rather a song of hope (“There’s an angel passing over you.”) hidden among somber piano chords and lonely western guitars.

The uplifting messages, and his passion for so many different types of music, continue on “Broken By the Song,” with Spencer telling us, “You can be beautiful…There will come a day.” Things can always turn around and change. Sorrow, like joy, will pass away like everything else. “Waiting for Sorrow,” his first single from the album, features an intro from French pop icon Jacqueline Taïeb and has Spencer’s boldest vocals on the record. I mean, he absolutely belts the chorus and bounces it off the back of the concert hall to lodge deep in your chest, and the bright, jangling guitar riffs only help it settle there.

The title track has slithering snake-like guitar and percussion and Spencer’s witty lyrics (and David Vanian-like vocals) about his complicated relationship with an ex-lover, and perhaps even with England. The way the album fades out with sparkling synths on “Knew That One Day” is a neat way to send us out on a levitating note.

The album is multi-layered, like Spencer himself, and I suspect will reveal more of itself with multiple listens. Vous devriez l’entendre.

Gardez votre esprit ouvert.

[Grâce à Caesar!]

Caesar Spencer teams up with a former Miss France for a sexy new single – “When I Whisper in Your Ear.”

Inspired by the seminal duets of Serge Gainsbourg – CAESAR SPENCER – returns in 2023 with the grandiose baroque-pop of: “When I Whisper In Your Ear”.

Nodding to some of Gainsbourg’s greatest collaborations with female counterparts like Jane Birkin and Brigitte Bardot, on his latest single Caesar vocally entwines with Mareva Galenter (an artist in her own right and previous Miss France) in what makes for a seductive, smouldering listen.

Speaking about his passion for the works of Gainsbourg and how “When I Whisper In Your Ear” came to fruition, Caesar reflects:

“When I Whisper In Your Ear is a homage to Serge Gainsbourg. Gainsbourg was someone who managed to combine intelligence, sexiness and mild provocation in a way that may seem a little foreign to non-Francophone ears. Leonard Cohen and Prince came close to hitting this sweet spot but still, they gave off a slightly different vibe… I wanted to capture that spirit of Gainsbourg into English. But at the same time it had to be brought right up to date. It felt important to introduce a strong female character who knows exactly what she wants. A simpering and slightly affected female lead would have felt very wrong today. That’s one reason why it was great to have Mareva Galanter onboard for this song.”Based on the star-crossed lovers who appear in the Nagisa Ōshima film ‘In the Realm of the Senses’, “When I Whisper In Your Ear” finds Caesar and Mareva step into the roles of one of cinema’s most complex relationships. A couple madly in love, but skewered by the sadomasochistic games that obsessively consume them; the new single is partnered with a stylish official video which pays reference to the closing scenes of Ōshima’s film.
Watch it here

Balancing risqué exchanges with a bespoke classicism courtesy of French soprano Aurélie Ligerot (who also guests), the track is notably adorned with verdantly beautiful string sections that come courtesy of Macedonia’s FAME Symphony orchestra. Emulating the work of Jean-Claude Vannier, who famously worked with Serge

Gainsbourg on the “Histoire de Melody Nelson” album, FAME’s orchestral flourishes provide “When I Whisper In Your Ear” with sweeping arrangements and a masterful authenticity.

The immediate follow-up to the previous singles Waiting For Sorrow and Isn’t That What Jimi Said, both tracks appear on Caesar Spencer’s much-anticipated debut solo album: ‘Get Out Into Yourself’. Due to be released through Modulor on 28 April 2023. In keeping with the explorations of “When I Whisper In Your Ear”, it’s a record that finds Caesar shining a light on French musical artistry, while infusing classic elements of English pop.

As an Englishman born in Peru, with Swedish roots, who now finds himself in France; the debut from Caesar Spencer continues in a long line of songwriters, from Scott Walker to Lee Hazlewood, Morrissey to Peter Doherty, who have long looked beyond their patch for a deeper sense of connection. Broadly echoing his own journey to date, Caesar’s debut ‘Get Out Into Yourself’, is a concept-album-of-sorts; inspired by those with nomadic origins and their search for identity. With a loose narrative that follows a protagonist journeying through different cultural landscapes, it unspools a tale laced with existential questions and the quest to find yourself in an ever-shifting world.

Whilst it’s a record that often switches from vintage British pop to gnarly West Coast surf-rock with a dextrous flick, above all else ‘Get Out Into Yourself’ is an homage to the musical heritage of his newfound home in France.

“It’s simply a love letter to France. I wanted to give something back to a country that has given me so much. And I really wanted to shine a light on this incredibly sophisticated French musical artistry.” says Caesar.

Recorded at the Studio La Fugitive (where acclaimed French band Les Rita Mitsouko recorded) with esteemed producer Gaétan Boudy (Zaz, Alex Renart, Emel Mathlouthi) and his formidable backing band of Fred Lafage (Tony Allen, Paris Dernière) and Frantxoa Erreçarret (Askehoug, Barcella); the album also sees Caesar joined by a raft of prominent special guest appearances. Alongside Jean Felzine (Mustang) and Jo Wedin (who both appear on “Isn’t That What Jimi Said”); a collaboration with 60’s ye-ye chanteuse Jacqueline Taïeb can be heard on previous single “Waiting for Sorrow”). Elsewhere, French punk icon Gilles Tandy (Les Olivensteins), the multi-talented Mareva Galanter, opera star Aurélie Ligerot and FAME’S PROJECT (Jarvis Cocker, Chilly Gonzales) all lend their talents to the album.
Deftly bridging the channel between British and French pop, ‘Get Out Into Yourself’ is a record with a timelessness of sound that dares to dream beyond typical boundaries in its quest for true identity. Available everywhere on 28th April, physical editions of the album will also be accompanied by a limited edition elegant conceptual storyboard illustrated by French artist Thierry Beaudenon.

Keep your mind open.

[N’oubliez pas de vous abonner.]

[Grâce à Caesar Spencer.]

Caesar Spencer serves up a perfect end-of-summer track, “Isn’t That What Jimi Said,” from his upcoming album.

Imbued with that warm afterglow of reflection that arrives with the Autumn season, the newest single from the Paris-based artist delivers both a tender tribute to the late Jimi Hendrix (who died on September the 18th. 1970) on the one hand, and a sepia-tinted recollection of endless Summer’s past, on the other.

As Caesar elaborates of the song:

““Isn’t That What Jimi Said” is a reminiscence about Summer holidays, and in my case, the ones spent in the South of Sweden. It’s about the Summers you have when you’re 16 years old. You fall in love with a strange girl and then you break up. Was it true love or just a Grease-style Summer loving fling? You’re not really sure and you don’t really know how to handle it.”

“The Jimi in question is actually Jimi Hendrix. It refers to the apocryphal idea that he smashed up his guitars out of sheer frustration because they weren’t able to sufficiently express the sounds he had in his mind. It’s the idea

that the emotions you feel are sometimes so strong that you have no ability to express them in a reasonable way. You’re limited by the tools you’re given. That can be painful to experience but it’s also something that can drive great art. Consider the DIY punk ethos. The technical ability you have to play is less important than the glorious, anarchic energy and sound you’ve created. It’s an imperfect statement of intent which sometimes sounds more authentic and beguiling than something that has been perfectly crafted.”

Featuring the talents of critically acclaimed French star Jean Felzine (Mustang) and his partner Jo Wedin (who delivers the song’s affecting Swedish monologue in her native tongue), its musical arrangements are resplendent in their Procol Harum-hinting hammond organs, lackadaisical guitar strums, loping basslines and retro-soundbites seemingly plucked from seaside holidays gone-by. Think of Traffic’s Paper Sun revisited in 2022.

Directed by Gaétan Boudy, the single’s official music video utilises old 8 mm film of Caesar Spencer as a child in Sweden and intimately ties-in with the undercurrent of themes explored in the track.

As warmly nostalgic as it is winsomely reflective, “Isn’t That What Jimi Said” finds itself right at home on Caesar Spencer’s much-anticipated debut solo album: ‘Get Out Into Yourself’ (coming soon via New Radio Records); a record that shines a light on French musical artistry, while still finding place and purpose to pay homage to classic English pastoral-pop.

As an Englishman born in Peru, with Swedish roots, who now finds himself in France; the debut from Caesar Spencer continues in a long line of songwriters, from Scott Walker to Lee Hazlewood, Morrissey to Peter Doherty, who have long looked beyond their patch for a deeper sense of connection. Broadly echoing his own journey to date, Caesar’s debut ‘Get Out Into Yourself’, is a concept-album-of-sorts; inspired by those with nomadic origins and their search for identity. With a loose narrative that follows a protagonist journeying through different cultural landscapes, it unspools a tale laced with existential questions and the quest to find yourself in an ever-shifting world.

Whilst its a record that often switches from vintage British pop to gnarly West Coast surf-rock with a dextrous flick, above all else ‘Get Out Into Yourself’ is an homage to the musical heritage of his newfound home in France.

Deftly bridging the channel between British and French pop, ‘Get Out Into Yourself’ is a record with a timelessness of sound that dares to dream beyond typical boundaries in its quest for true identity. New Radio Records will shortly confirm the release date. All physical editions of the album will also be accompanied by an elegant conceptual storyboard illustrated by French artist Thierry Beaudenon.

Keep your mind open.

[I think Jimi also said that you should subscribe.]

[Thanks to Caesar!]