Description
Maxwell Farrington & Le SuperHomard (Christophe Vaillant) are storytellers. Through their lyrics, orchestrations and arrangements, their compositions unfold as allegories, journeys into worlds where pop meets lushness and reverie. Since Once (Talitres, 2021), the Franco-Australian duo has cultivated a way of life, an aesthetic - silky, sunlit, and timeless. Released in spring 2022, I Had it All (EP) confirmed what was already clear: the musicians' melodies possess an irresistible alchemy and infectious generosity. Please, Wait (2024), recorded with musicians from the Nancy Opera and Conservatory, raised the orchestral stakes and placed Maxwell Farrington and Christophe Vaillant among the great pop songwriters. Tour after tour, whether as a quintet or in smaller line-ups, Maxwell Farrington's playfulness and the band's elegance win over devotees and newcomers alike. Rock icons know quality when they hear it: Iggy Pop championed them on his BBC6 show, Paul Weller brought them along on European tours and invited Christophe Vaillant to Abbey Road Studios for the recording of his album 66. The duo naturally turned to England to produce their new record. Window Tax was recorded in Margate, a short train ride from London, with Mike Lindsay, co-founder of Tunng (spearhead of the folktronica movement) and holder of the prestigious Mercury Prize in 2009 for his production work on Speech Debelle's Speech Therapy. The studio doubles as a cabinet of curiosities, crammed with singular and eclectic instruments: Moog Grandmother, Eventide H949 Harmonizer, Teenage Engineering OP-1, Suzuki TES370 Koto synthesizer, bean-filled shaker, castanets and other treasures. Window Tax: literally, a tax on windows. It could refer to the levy based on the number of doors and windows in buildings. But the title - and the song of the same name - suggests something else: the idea of paying extra at a restaurant for a better view, a seat by the window. Or: how to enjoy dinner with an admirable view, spend many hours with Lorene, find your way back to the Supermarket, savor fish & chips in very good company. 'Do da da da'.
