Noblesse Oblige

Ex-London, now Berlin based duo Noblesse Oblige was formed in early 2004 by German songwriter/producer Sebastian Lee Philipp and French actress cum chanteuse/ songwriter Valerie Renay. The eclectic mix of disco punk, sixties French chanson and raw acoustic folklore combined with lyrical wit and dark humour proved an appealing combination among the London hipster crowds. Having re-located to Berlin in 2007, Noblesse Oblige started working on the follow-up album "In Exile". The album is a journey through its writers' diverse musical tastes and styles, taking influences from gothic horrormovies, African tribal tunes and contemporary pop music. The songs are accompanied by tri-lingual lyrics that range from childlike Nursery Rhymes, over the bands ever present obsession with sex and death, to more sensual and dreamlike tales of unfound love and loneliness. While the mixture of baroque harpsichords and disco beats on "Tanz, Mephisto!" underlines the band's camp club appeal, other songs evoke a more euphonic sound that, especially through Sebastian's tremolo guitar melodies, recall hints of a vintage movie score such as in french chanson Jalouse. The soundtrack feel is a recurrent one in movie buffs Sebastian and Valerie's "In Exile", most evidently in pseudo-70's b-flick theme "Barracuda", over the Air-esque string arrangements of "All or Nothing", to the hypnotic-oriental psychedelics on "Shame". The nihilistic humour and wayward bizarreness of "Privilege Entails Responsibility" is still evident in Oi!-Punk "Under the Floorboard", tribal-esque electro pop of Hit the Bongo, and the klezmer rock of "Partners in Crime". "With 4 A.M.", "Forbidden Time" and "Das Soldatenglück", Noblesse Oblige have delivered their most melodic and personal songs to date. The bands flirtation with "world music" has come to a climax on "In Exile". The use of bongos and Latin percussion, strings and brass arrangements to African Masai-tribe samples, combined with analog electronics and classic guitar and piano instrumentation result in a timeless journey through the bands influences in music history.

	1.	4 A.M.
	2.	Das Soldatenglück
	3.	Jalouse
	4.	Seaside Suicide
	5.	Tanz, Mephisto!
	6.	Barracuda
	7.	Hit The Bongo
	8.	East Of Eden
	9.	Duel
	10.	Monkey Business
	11.	Forbidden Time
	12.	Partners In Crime
	13.	All Or Nothing
	14.	Shame
	15.	Under The Floorboard

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