>>>>> Wednesday, April 20, 2005 >>

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Mistranslations

Several weeks ago during a routine scan of the mp3 blogosphere, I came across the following photograph on a French blog and stopped dead in my metaphorical tracks.



Need I elaborate? Is anything in this ol' world creepier than these rosy, flesh-colored half-masks?

The band was called Lawrence Wasser. Never heard of 'em. A quick google offers little to the non-French-speaking, unless you're seeking out Lawrence Wasser, the American polygraph expert.

I decided to use a free, web-based French-to-English translation program, and that was how this:
Je suis d'accord avec marie pierre au sujet de lawrence wasser. Ca tue sa mère. Un peu comme si les 6 finger satellites ou Public Image Ltd s'étaient réincarnés avec les masques des béruriers noirs. Et hop .. ce soir je vais voir The Ex.
became this:
I agree with marries rock on the subject of lawrence wasser. Ca kills his mother. A little as if the 6 finger satellites or Public Picture Ltd had been reincarnated themselves with the masks of the black béruriers. And hop.. tonight I will see The Former one.
Are computer translations the shit, or what? I just love how Public Image Ltd becomes "Public Picture Ltd", even more how The Ex becomes "The Former one". Fantastic...


Amused, I pressed on. This page, google-translated into English, becomes this:
Primitive disco music by Lawrence Wasser

Since nearly one week, I emboucane all my entourage with LAWRENCE WASSER .

I rise Lawrence Wasser.
I fly Lawrence Wasser.
I takes the subway Lawrence Wasser.
I puts on tee-shirts Lawrence Wasser.

It is a trio based in Brussels which inserts with blow of low gross all the faded and hysterical young girls (with the idiot, therefore) of the électroclash.

I have finally make a Web page today with MP3 and all and all. My preferred: "Cream" (meta-boogy disco music with the exploded sound) and "The Cab" (for those which, like me, had evil to recover from the genius of the first EP 6 titles of Sonic Youth).

Blow one makes them play in Liege ( Rock'n'roll and love in Wallonia with the Counter), in Lille (via Steed), and a little everywhere in France for a price kiss.

Programmers of all the nations, hair short or long hair, you link!


Elsewhere, another gem:
It will not be a diesel engine which will begin the evening since MAXIMUM DJ CYCLOPS REVOLUTION will push our ears with end with a Rock'n'roll in evil of love... only Rock. LAWRENCE WASSER will foutra the souk with a gig primitive disco music/apocalyptic No wave. The evening will finish with one mix special of the MACAC SOUND SYSTEM which, when they do not carry masks of gorilla all bonnement alarming, can make dance the boys like the girls. To celebrate the exit of the new number of Minimum Rock' Roll (Disco music-Babel/Le Astral Beaver) devoted to the motors, dragsters and motorways of the hell, these Dj will powder their set with the most famous items of the rock'n'roll and the wheels (of "Fast Cars" of Buzzcocks with "I found the rare gasoline" of Gang of Four).
Just how, exactly, does one "foutra the souk" anyway?



Finally I found what appears to be their official bio page. I love how they give props to both Mark E. Smith and Donna Summer.

Oh yeah, the music. I wouldn't have bothered with this post if the music sucked. It doesn't. At all.

The whole dance-punk/death-disco thing could hardly be more played out, yet somehow these freaky French-speaking fuckers wormed their way into my heart and my mp3 player.

Listen for yerself.

Lawrence Wasser - "Cream"
Lawrence Wasser - "Ah"
Lawrence Wasser - "Piggy on a Rooftop"

More mp3s are available on their bio page. No idea where to buy their stuff, or if they even have releases available for sale.


N/P Fabienne Delsol -- No Time for Sorrows