Day 135: Sebastian Tellier – Sexuality
I thought I’d follow on Air from yesterday with a semi-related artist, Sébastien Tellier. Tellier had his life changed by seeing the music video for Air’s “Kelly Watch the Stars”. He says that upon hearing it, he felt a connection between him and their music, so he took his demo to Air’s label’s office. Not long after, Air started a label and signed him.
Album cover courtesy of Record Makers
Like Air, Tellier is also a purveyor of sexy French electronic music, except his is less tongue in cheek and more hammy – so much so that he once landed himself at Eurovision, the spiritual home of camp music. I decided to go for for the multi-instrumentalists third record, Sexuality.
The album was released in 2008 and produced by Daft Punk’s Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. It’s probably not hard to guess what the theme of the album is from the name of it. It’s unabashedly horny, but not in a lecherous way – despite all the moaning, it’s almost charming in its sexuality. It’s hard to take it completely seriously, but I don’t think it’s meant to be taken fully seriously either. Tellier describes it as wanting to do something seductive rather than vulgar, or as he says, “something finer than the sex machines of the US.”
Most of the songs are semi-forgettable but still sort of fun. “Fingers of Steel” is a song that could probably be appreciated by any fan of Daft Punk, and it’s among the top of the record, but what in the world does the lyric “Oh mother make it slow” mean? Probably best I don’t know. My personal favourite off the record is the instrumental track “Sexual Sportswear,” possibly because of the lack of lyrics rather than in spite of the lack of them. I read an interview with Tellier that opens with a question about the title and holy moly does he not hold back:
Hello, Sébastien. What is so arousing about sportswear?
In my own sexual fantasies I always think about women in sportswear. I like women in sports pants and prefer peeling them off women to lifting up their skirts. Usually guys are more into going under skirts but personally I prefer to pull off the sexual sportswear. I would like to make an erotic movie about sportswear and when I do, everybody will be as sexually interested in sportswear as I am.
Right-o. Anyway, I’m giving Sexuality a 7/10 – what can I say, it’s fun, I liked it.
As a side note, his semi-flop Eurovision performance of the song “Divine” from this album that earned him the 19th spot sure is something. I have to say that Eurovision is the only place where you can arrive on stage on a golf cart and huff some helium mid-song and fail because your performance was too elegant and not gimmicky enough. Man, I miss Eurovision, I hate that I am still boycotting.