Jonesing For This One: Alexandra Saviour, Belladonna of Sadness

Hidden gems from Matt Jones’ record collection:

"In this column, I want to shine a light on the essential hidden gems in my record collection. Albums that might not always get the spotlight, but have stayed close to me over years of listening."

ALEXANDRA SAVIOUR - BELLADONNA OF SADNESS

For this month’s hidden gem, we’ve got a cracker for International Women’s Month.

This is a record I discovered by pure chance, taking a lucky dip from the now nearly defunct Vinyl Me, Please. At the time, they were putting out great records and were the source of a lot of joy for me — quality pressings and some brilliant discoveries.

This one is from French chanteuse Alexandra Saviour, her 2017 debut Belladonna of Sadness. The album takes its name from a Japanese anime art, film, and the artwork was painted by Alexandra herself.

To understand why this record is so great, let’s start with who helped create it.

First up, producer James Ford — of Simian Mobile Disco and The Last Shadow Puppets — and the man behind records for Arctic Monkeys, Blur, Depeche Mode, Foals, Florence and the Machine, Haim, Gorillaz, Jessie Ware, Kylie Minogue, Pulp and more. His smoky production here makes the songs feel sexy and cool. It genuinely sounds like it was recorded in a jazz club somewhere at 2am.

Then enter Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys, who co-wrote and played across the whole album.

How did that happen? She met Miles Kane from The Last Shadow Puppets at a party, of course, and he suggested she work with Alex. They met at a café, decided to try writing together, and bang — here it is.

Usually I’d go track by track, but Matt Jones returns with Jonesing For This One, spotlighting Alexandra Saviour’s Belladonna of Sadness — a smoky, cinematic debut best enjoyed front to back.is one to sit with as a whole. Put it on, pour a whisky or a wine, and let it do its thing.

From the opening moments of ‘Mirage’, with that slow, hypnotic drone, it feels like something special. You can hear the Alex Turner influence straight away — it almost sounds like Arctic Monkeys fronted by a seductive woman — and it sets the tone perfectly.

‘Bones’ and ‘Shades’ glide by with that unmistakable guitar sound threaded through both.

‘Girlie’ is my favourite on the record, with a great groove and those seductive vocals sitting right in the pocket.

Other highlights include ‘Frankie’ and ‘Mystery Girl’, both slinking along with killer grooves. The whole thing feels cinematic, like it belongs in a late-night scene somewhere between romance and trouble.

‘Mystery Girl’ also closes the album with a real sense of style, rounding things out beautifully.

If you loved the later Arctic Monkeys records and ever wondered what they might sound like through a different voice, this is well worth your time. This is a record made for a smoky bar and a drink in hand.

Sadly, the album didn’t set the world on fire sales-wise. Alexandra left Columbia and recorded her second album The Archer without Alex Turner. It’s a great record in its own right, but very different to this debut.

So where can you find it on vinyl?

Unless you’re happy to spend big bucks, it’s not easy to track down. Hopefully one day it gets a proper reissue so more people can enjoy it.

The good news is Alexandra Saviour’s Belladonna of Sadness is available on most streaming platforms, so there’s no excuse not to give it a spin.

Happy spinning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=OLAK5uy_m4StlnR9ap7f0btq3r2ukEIZCHcURprCo&v=9e6grIZeMJI