Search - Pizzicato Five :: Playboy & Playgirl

Shagadelic Ride of your Life!

10/01/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"'Playboy/Playgirl' was the first Pizzicato Five CD I ever listened to. A student in my architectural studio class decided to play it on the communal jambox as background music to all those quietly drafting away and building cardboard models. The music became instantly infectious and each song was filled with gorgeous hooks, lush orchestration and production, and an exagerrated albeit fun mood throughout the entire length of the album. In other words, 'Playboy/Playgirl' was exactly what I needed to finish my architecture projects and keep me motivated and driven to the very last all-nighter. Unlike most CDs that I own which all were 'slow burners' in that they had to grow on me before I embraced them, this album is one of the very few to have lit the fire so fast it was more of a flame-thrower. Each song carefully studied the influences of Bacharach, Carpenters, Gainsbourg and the Beach Boys, yet each track is original and perfect. Not one mediocre track anywhere because the strongest aspect of the CD is its sequencing. Each song follows its predecessor perfectly, seamlessly, and therefore requires the listener to listen the entire LP as one carefully constructed piece. What differentiates this album from previous American releases like 'Happy End of the World' and 'Made in USA' is that it is a coherent and unified piece, while the former titles are mostly a hodgepodge of dance tracks and ballads randomly packaged. Although many would accuse this album of being cartoonish in its sentimentality, my response is that it's exactly this aspect that makes it such a guilty pleasure. Since it is a retro-inspired work, 'Playboy/Playgirl' does indeed remind us of the innocence lost from the 60s and 70s. Its 'sweetness' worked for me, as my fiancee and I first fell in love while enjoying this album. All I can say is that it's full of magic. 'Playboy/Playgirl' is the embodiment of happiness."