Donna Regina - A Quiet Week In The House

Lovely and warm lounge pop by overlooked German downtempo duo Donna Regina. Great LP from start to finish. Including the neoliberal banger: « Bouge-toi ». RIYL: Stereolab, The Gentle People, Matthew Herbert, Laila France

The band had already released an excellent debut album in 1992, Lazing Away, followed by 4 CD-only albums I never listened to (yet), when they signed to young Cologne electro pop label Karaoke Kalk, that would be their home for the next 20 years. Just like on their 1992 album, Donna Regina’s sound on A Quiet Week In The House is extremely well produced, warm and gentle, tainted with a retro shade, that recalls Stereolab and the Gentle People. 

It’s quite puzzling to see such a long-lasting band, with a career spanning over 3 decades, never having a proper breakthrough, especially considering the fact that all the records I’ve heard contained hit-sounding songs. Take this LP for instance: if you would have told me that "Why" was an indie hit from the late 1990’s, sitting next to Massive Attack’s "Teardrop" or Sneaker Pimps’s "6 Underground", it would have been hard not to believe you. But it wasn’t, nor was the incredible "Bouge-toi", with questionable lyrics sung in French, the Matthew Herbert-produced title track and the hypnotizing "Big Bright Star".

Their minimal yet lush indie sound, that actually may have more to do with japanese indie acts from that era than European ones, aged  really well and is infinitely more refreshing than say, their 1999 French Touch equivalents. (VG+/VG+)

Tracklist

1. Why
2. Day By Day
3. A Quiet Week In The House
4. Shadow Of Your Love
5. I’m Walking Alone
6. Big Bright Star
7. Devotional Sleeper
8. Blue Echo
9. Finally