HERE ARE SOME RECENT REVIEWS OF RESOLVO IN GERMAN AND SWISS PUBLICATIONS.

Westzeit

February 1996. In Bremen, the Morning Glories blast away as support for Foetus. On bass: Pierre de Gaillande, born in France, raised in South California, living in New York. More than five years later, the singer/songwriter/guitarist presents the debut of HIS band, Melomane. He enjoyed the time with the Morning Glories, but sometimes it was just a job. "We weren't Oasis fans and the band existed long before Oasis released their CD with that name". Melomane is a Sextet, the former Morning Glories drummer again "at the shooting gallery". Altogether three US-Americans, one Swiss, one Brit - Quentin Jennings, who about then years ago in the wakelight of the Stone Roses/Charlatans mania had his fifteen minutes with The Dylans. "I used to enjoy playing loud rock music and to scream, but you change direction when you get older. Im bored of loud guitars. Now I'm enticed by other instruments, more complicated sounds. My music is positive, it has an optimistic attitude". Cello, Keyboards, beautiful harmonies are a better way to describe it.

"First I learned how to play trumpet, years before I picked up guitar and bass. I know exactly what I want to hear, but now Brad is in the band and he plays the stuff exactly the way I want it. The Melomane opus is labelled "Resolvo", it wants to be a medicine, after hearing it, you should feel better - a temporary relief for permanent ailments. They are only getting started, but does Gaillande know for what he wants to be remebered once its over? He thinks about it, smiles, as every so often: "I want to be the first musician whose music cures cancer." Lets hope it works. He thinks in english, when he was seven, he turned his back to his fathers french homeland, his mother is American. One song is called "Mais j'accorde". "That's just a play on words, complete nonsense. It alludes to the big chords. But more recently I've started to sing in french from time to time." The company info sheet quotes Leonard Cohen as one inspiration, who very successfully interpreted the traditional "The Partisan", which tells the story of how the french had to flee from the Germans. The Denver band "16 Horsepower", whose drummer and guitarist also come from France, recorded this song, too. Gaillande immediately sings the first few lines. "I used to sing this, too. It's a really sad song about the war. I think it might even be of french origin. Melomane are deeply rooted in a european context. "There are positive reactions to our record in America, but it seems there is something that appeals especially to europeans. Might be the fact that I listened to a lot of George Brassens and Jacques Brel, but than again I also loved Fugazi. Their swiss band member Frank Heer put the band in contact with the european Label, because he knows somebody who knows somebody who knew the label. Defying the rules of the business, they sent the demos and were signed right away. Well, Resolvo is relaxing, puts you in a happy mood, is diverse and charming. The singer of this listenable medicine likes the Beatles very much. "But since thirty years lots of bands run the risk of being compared to the fab four, since they did practically everything once already." Doesn't really matter, does it?
Ralf Poppe

Reviewer: Intro Magazine, Germany This sounds like a fake biography written by a culture editor of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: A Paris-born and San Diego-raised Singer songwriter called Pierre de Gaillande, ex-Foetus drummer Kenny Savelson, a Swiss "Privateman", cello player and keyboarder named Frank Heer, bass player Daria Klotz from New York bands God is My Co Pilot and Vanity Set, trumpet player Brad Steward who is fluent in Russian and Britpop-No-Hoper Quentin Jennings (Ex-Dylans) find each other in New York to start playing majestically lazy and tastefully crooked Sixties-Pop. It must have been an advanced state of "melomania" that brought these musicians together to make their debut an almost cliche-free, trend-ignoring, but in the same way narcistic and timeless masterpiece. Despite their surprisingly luscious arrangements (for the current era) and diverse instrumentation, they never get lost in a UN-like ensemble of "countrymen" trying to adopt all different kinds of musical styles from their homelands. A neat vibraphone, brass and string sections plus the hippie-esque voice of the singer are all part of Melomane's glorious and eclectic mini-evergreens for future generations, including "Overkill," their only cover version of a Men-At-Work 1983 hit. The catchy slogan on Melomane's debut CD says it all: "Resolvo is a cure-all drug to chase the blues away." An overdose is impossible. "Sensitive pop from a rough New York neighborhood." Rolling Stone, Germany

"They combine all the musical influences and ideas that fly around in their headsŠ into a completely unique musical style." Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Munich

"Music for cloud walkers, air heads and dreamers. And for people who want to become addicted - addicted to music." Kultur News, Germany

"One hit chases another. Resolvo is relaxingŠ diverse and charmingŠ puts you in a happy mood." Westzeit, Germany

"Lots and lots of sun, marvellous arrangements, the relaxed lightness of being without borders, Mariachi-horns that blow away the last clouds, Bossa Nova without the usual Acid-Jazz boreŠ You've just got to love Œem!" P.S., Switzerland

"Music you listen to with your friends on a rooftop at the very end of the summer, when little colored lights and warm fall clothes make you dream of tropical fruits and love." Tages Anzeiger, Zuerich

"Sophisticated desert sound with slowed down surf implants and Cinema Noir flair." Metropol, Zuerich

"Very catchyŠ Sultry, twangy guitar sounds paint a background for theŠ sixties sing-along hits (that) remind one of Belle and Sebastian. Resolvo has a class that makes it an evergreen that finds its way to the CD player over and over." Rec-order.de, Germany

"This is it, your ultimative collection, named ŒResolvo.' The active XXS-Label from St. Pauli has released this CD that I can easily recommend to everybody." Hamburg Pur, Germany

"Music for people over 30 by people over 30 who know what they're doing... You have to know about the blues and its blurry, wistful secrets to understand Resolvo." Bloom, Germany

"IntoxicatingŠ charmingly casual songs. Somewhere between Brian Wilson and cheerful Tindersticks." Hamburger Nachrichten, Germany

rec-order.de

Symptomatic of this CD is its beginning. The first bars of the first song immediately remind one of TITO AND TARANTULAS first hit, that overdimensional road trip country lounge core midtempo hymn in ROBERT RODRIGUEZ' "From Dusk Til Dawn", but the sultry twangy guitar sounds then paint a melodic background for the Talking Folk, while the chorus with full use of vibes revives Sixites sing-a-long hits but at the same time remind of Belle and Sebsatian. Moreover, this melange is interwoven with trumpets, cellos and all sorts of gimmicks from obscure sound sources. But: Nothing is overdone, nothing falls apart and even the more than likeable cover version of MEN AT WORKS 1983 hit "Overkill" fits in perfectly, among all these short country moments, this playful folk, chamber music and the omnipresent floating off to a pop heaven, where everything is possible as long as the melody that makes you hum and dream is right. Disregarding their constantly resurfacing, funny approach to country and mariachi sounds, the musicians sound somehow British, meaning BELLE AND SEBASTIAN or other bands that find their folk roots mainly in their vocal melody, always very '60s, very multilayered vocally, very catchy. This reflects the past of two of the musicians, one with the Dylans, the other with God Is My Co-Pilot, who somehow sounded pretty British. But almost even more important for the undisturbed pleasure of listening to this cd is the bands ability for self irony. They do not take themselves all too seriously, know the difficulties in approaching different genres. And should it become too kitschy, they manage to put it back into to the right relation with a grinning detail. That's not just terribly nice, but has a class that makes "RESOLVO" an evergreen that often finds its way to the CD player.
(tg)

P.S. (Switzerland)

Hamburg pur

Watch out, friends of the decent harmonic sound - this is it, your ultimative Collection, named "Resolvo": Tindersticks, Ben Folds Five, XTC, Byrds, Orange Juice, Radar Brothers, Giant Sand, Beach Boys, Pale Fountains and many, many more. All with their best tracks, pepped up with Vibes and Mariachis and "lenor" softened choruses. Honestly, their influences can easily be recognized. The active xxs-Label from St. Pauli has released this CD, that I can easily recommend to everybody. We are ready for fall!
(Andreas Homann)

Harburger Nachrichten

Tages Anzeiger (Zuerich, 6 Sept.)

Dachterrasse
Nat¸rlich ist die Trompete der Bonvivant unter den Instrumenten, mal mitreissend seicht, dann wieder todtraurig. Als Signalgeber der Sehnsucht ist sie nach wie vor un¸bertroffen, und davon macht auch die New Yorker Combo Melomane[100] Gebrauch. Sie verbinden Melodien mit wohldosiertem Noise, setzen verlangsamte Surf-Implantate ein und generieren damit eine elaborierte Wehmutsmusik im Geiste der Tindersticks. Neben ehemaligen Musikern von Creedle, The Dylans und God Is My Co-Pilot gehört zur Melomane[100]-Startaufstellung auch der Exil-Schweizer Frank Heer (ehemals Former Franks), und wenn die Band schliesslich zum zweistimmig-luftigen Men-At-Work-Cover "Overkill" ansetzt, ist sie plötzlich da, jene melancholisch eingefœrbte Musik, die man sich auf der Dachterrasse anhört, wenn der Sommer in den letzten Zügen liegt und die Gœste bereits in Herbstjacken unter den farbigen Lœmpchen sitzen und von Südfrüchten und der Liebe trœumen.