Beau Tand
Beau Tand
© 2006 Pinstripe Records (855320001004)
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A mix of genres as diverse as glam, lounge, acid jazz, and electronica that swaggers through the world's most beautiful city, Pop.
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2007 marks first chapter in the musical odyssey that is Beau Tand. Based in Washington, D.C., Beau Tand is the musical moniker for singer-songwriter (and former Eighteenth Street Lounge DJ) Carlton English. Two years in the making, the self-titled (and self-produced) debut CD by Beau Tand is a collection of songs with love and culture as its lyrical playground and pop music used to connect the dots.
Carlton English, a multi-instrumentalist, recorded Beau Tand in Washington, D.C. and Dublin, Ireland; his seamless vocals are reminiscent of David Bowie, Paul Weller, Scott Walker and Bryan Ferry.
Even the cover art hints towards a forward-looking film noir.
The musique on the new CD reflects many facets of songwriting and arranging that have inspired English; serving a sizable variety of musical styles (A mix of genres as diverse as glam, lounge, acid jazz, and electronica), yet, at the same time, fusing Beau Tand together into a unified set.
Tracks like, Ready for De Mille and the Françoise Hardy inspired May 1968 set a mood of glamour and wit and become picture perfect alongside the introspection of And All the Times and the blatantly romantic Pretty, Maybe It's Now/Villebrumier or the anime series Noir influenced Olympic Style. Pop music is overrated for all the wrong reasons and under appreciated for all the wrong reasons, but Beau Tand's first CD gets the balance right. Beau Tand was released on the Washington, D.C. based label, Pinstripe.
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Melodic.net Reviews Beau Tand
author: Melodic.netWashington based artist Carlton English has worked 2 years on this album and it is a true ride for the open minded music lover, especially with your headphones on. Imagine David Bowie doing a set of Sade' songs or why not describe the music as a collaboration between Moby and Bryan Ferry, this album is a mix of different styles all from ambient music to soulpop and synthbased electropop. There are also moments when you could say it sounds like laid back disco with a French vibe and if the British duo Cling would do re-mixes of James Blunt songs the result could very well be Beau Tand's self titled debut. The last 3 tracks do not match the rest of the album and the use of a drum machine on all the songs stops me from giving this a higher rating but it's worth 3 stars without doubt!—Kaj Roth
DCist.com Reviews Beau Tand’s Album Debut
author: DCist.comWe get a lot of CDs here at DCist, and at least 90 percent of them are nothing more than DJ mix tapes. So it was a bit of a pleasant surprise when Beau Tand’s self-titled debut album arrived and we heard what sounded like David Bowie crooning about French model and actress Francoise Hardy over programmed beats. Sure it’s more 1980s Bowie than Ziggy Stardust, and that might be enough to drive some listeners away, but the album manages to take that sound and put an interesting spin on it. Beau Tand is the name of former Eighteenth Street Lounge Music DJ Carlton English – but don’t let that fool you into thinking this is another Thievery Corporation spin-off. English, who is based in Washington, D.C., is doing something vastly more interesting with Beau Tand. The album took two years to complete and was recorded on two continents – both here in D.C. at Listen-Vision and in Dublin. It’s not hard to imagine English sitting at the console in the studio overseeing the mixing of every single track because the album feels that personal. All the things that influence English practically pour out of the speakers, from his affection for French culture and noir to the post-Thin White Duke and Roxy Music recordings that we’re sure hold a prominent space in his album collection. Beau Tand is not without its faults, however. Just like Bowie’s material in the ‘80s, the vocals can be overly dramatic and bring more attention to lyrics that at times come off as a little corny. The song titles “Did I Woo Thee?” and “Come Hitherto” are prime examples. But those songs also are examples of what English does best. “Did I Woo Thee?” takes a decent beat and throws in a rousing chorus, while “Come Hitherto” slides along like some lost 1960s soul record remixed for a Verve compilation. The album is not perfect by far. But if you give it a chance, it might grow on you little by little.—Matt Sadler
Epic... de Mille style 11.16.06
author: SkyeA couple of weeks ago I got ahold of Beau Tand's (nom de guerre of Washington based Carlton English) debut record, the self-titled... em, Beau Tand. It's got to be said that this was on my ipod for a wee while before I really started to get into it, but it's a real slow-burner, and over the last week or so, I've really found myself getting into it. On the first impression, especially on opener "ready for de mille", the record sounds like it has a real affinity with Hull's Salako; but pleasant while this is, it's something of a googly, especially vocally: track 2 brings with it a new, epic sound for English's voice. Married to this is a fantastically quirky sense of rhythm and musicality, that also bears some resemblance to Salako (actually I was also slightly reminded of the short-lived Snowpony too). However, Beau Tand doesn't stray anywhere near that band's whimsicality, instead commenting wryly and with wit on aspects of culture and contemporary life. English's background of a DJ also comes through in the (self) production, with some driving beats behind a number of tracks.