Discover Maurice Maladroit’s whimsical folk debut ‘Notre Dame’.
Maurice Maladroit – Notre Dame
Depending on your background, you might associate the Cathedral of Notre Dame with Gothic architecture, Catholic guilt, or a hunchback character and possibly the greatest Disney score of all time. But luckily, Maurice Maladroit provides another perspective – a lighthearted tale of a Parisian hotel stay and whimsical memories.
Maurice Maladroit is a London-based artist describing his style as ‘freak folk’. This release comes ahead of his debut album ‘Half Baked’, due to be launched this summer.
‘Notre Dame’ is a mellow acoustic tune with a psychedelic edge and lyrics rich in quirky detail.
Maladroit narrates a visit with an assumed lover to ‘Notre Dame, we only stayed one night in the old hotel’, punctuated by the occasional odd aside – ‘why the long face?’. The place seems to hold some significance to the love, with Maurice calling it ‘a fairground ride’. There’s some fun detail as well when we’re told ‘Val took off before the sun came up in a fake moustache’. All of this is delivered in Maladroit’s echoing vocals, which display a strong storytelling ability and a solid vocal range. The melodies flow effortlessly with the occasional feel of free-form jazz in their lines.
The production is bare, with just a mellow guitar and Maladroit’s vocals letting the story shine through. There’s a definite 1960s and 1970s psychedelic influence, with the Beatles and Fleet Foxes being strong references – one does have to wonder if the narrator’s visit to Notre Dame was fuelled by substances, and if they ever actually left that hotel room. But despite the quirk, it makes for easy listening.
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Words Eden Tredwell
