Lagniappe (la·gniappe) noun ˈlan-ˌyap,’ – 1. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. 2. Something given or obtained as a gratuity or bonus.
The songwriting vehicle of Erin Birgy, Mega Bog bathes in the multiplicity of the human condition via an ever-eccentric blend of oblique pop experimentalism. Anchored by Birgy’s ethereal yet fixed vocals, sonically, the project leans as deftly into Badalamenti-esque jazz-scapes as it does biting, angular art-rock.
For this installment of the Lagniappe Sessions, Mega Bog pays homage to the late British painter, poet and musician, Lady June, by way of “Gemini” — a 1980 collaboration with Kevin Ayers and Ollie Halsall. Followed is a delicate and ripened rendering of Yukihiro Takahashi’s “Drip Dry Eyes”; a cornerstone off the Japanese musician’s 1981 solo outing, Neuromantic. The set concludes with a floating, reverent, take on the 1980 Kate Bush single, “Army Dreamers” — a song curiously banned by the BBC at the outset of the first Gulf War.
Dolphine, Mega Bog’s fifth, and best long-player is out now courtesy of Paradise of Bachelors. The artist’s notes on her choice of covers, below.
Mega Bog :: Gemini (Lady June / Kevin Ayers / Ollie Halsall)
I love almost everything Lady June has made or been a part of, but when this album (The Happening Combo) was released a few years ago, and I heard this song, I felt like it was the most perfect song to my taste I’d ever witnessed. I relate so much to what I assume her role in the community had been, and the way the poems pour out and stick to the walls of a mind.
Mega Bog :: Drip Dry Eyes (Yukohiro Takahashi)
“Drip Dry Eyes” & “Something In the Air” off of Neuromantic are pretty consistently stuck in my head, and I cherish the drama every time I put his record on.
Mega Bog :: Army Dreamers (Kate Bush)
I’ve always dreamed of putting on elaborate cover shows of each Kate Bush record, maybe twice a year (if I ever found the means), but chose to do “Army Dreamers” because it has a direct and simple arrangement and story, and still makes me cry. Every time.
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Lagniappe Sessions Archives / imagery via d norsen
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