Stand Out Albums: John Grant ‘Queen of Denmark’ (2010)

Today’s album and musician you probably haven’t heard of and that is okay, that is kinda one of the points of me writing about these albums because, A) they mean something to me and B) someone might discover a band they would not otherwise had listened to.  So, if I get the second part of that mission in today, all the better!

John Grant is an american singer-songwriter with an interesting lyrical sense and a wicked sense of humor.  He is one that you have to really listen in between the lines to in order get what he is talking about and, even then, you are never quite sure you get it.  Even if you don’t understand what he is getting at, his music captures something special that I think everyone should experience at least once in their lives.

Why This Album?

I was introduced to today’s album by a coworker who had a knack for finding some of the most interesting and strangest bands that exist but also finding some of the most wonderful music from these bands.  I remember being in the office one day and hearing an odd song emanating from his cubicle.  When I turned the corner, he had a music video on that blew my mind.  It made no sense, and neither did the music, but I loved it and had to hear more.  Turning me onto the album, I dove in head first and have never come back up for breath.

Grant is a musician, someone who just understands music in it’s purest form allowing his lyrics and voice to act as an instrument in and of itself.  The songs he plays are some of the most amazing tunes coupled with a stream of consciousness that almost makes sense half of the time with the rest just an amazing journey in sound.   The Queen of Denmark is his first solo album since he departure from his regular band The Czars.  It is an interesting exploration of his personal struggles in life coupled with his immense talent. Word of warning, it does have some harsh language and some of the song titles may look like they will be offensive, listen to the songs before you pass judgement, this guy is one of the good ones.

Since the release of this album, Grant has released another two but this one is my all time favorite.

Favorite Tracks

Marz.  This is such a surreal and amazing song that is both beautiful and insane all at once. It is gorgeous in it’s construction and one you will find yourself adding to your favorite playlists in no time.

Sigourney Weaver.  Named after the actress from Alien, this is an incredible song about someone trying to describe how they feel using movies as an analogy.

Chicken Bones.   If you ever hear me say, Some days just Chicken Bones, I got it from here.  It is a song about how some days nothing works like it should and that is just how it is. Plus, the music video is just wonderful.  This is the one I mentioned before.

Ok, Where do I get it?

The CD is hard to find for some reason but if you are into Vinyl sometimes Amoeba has them here for around $20.  Otherwise, just go to spotify.  They have this album in it’s entirety and it is amazing.

Oh and that friend of mine who created awesome playlists?  Check them out here, this guy knows his music!

Late to the Game 8/18/2020 (originally published 4/9/19)

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Thanks for reading, If you would like to read more reviews I have a weekly series called Key Movies Of My Life that comes out every Thursday and also check out some retro tv goodness with the ongoing series Retro TV Reviews here. You can also find a few of my other Music Reviews Here.

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