Singles

The Vichy Government - The Man Delusion

Page 27/06/2009

Rating: 4/5

The Vichy Government are a Cambridge based two-piece consisting of singer Jamie Manners and electronic wizard Andrew Chilton. Though three albums in they are very much a cult concern, but claim to have a celebrity fan in Daniel Harry Potter Radcliffe who listed their song I Control Discourse as one of his favourite tunes in 2004, and are now back with their single The Man Delusion. Will this tune leave everyone as big a fan as Mr Potter seems to be?

I've got to give credit to Mr Radcliffe for his taste as The Vichy Government are not a band to suit everyone's taste, probably why they are still just a cult concern, but on this showing they're a band well worth checking out. Their sound is a bare electronic backing, sinister sounding 80s synth, with a lead vocalist, can't really call him a singer, talking over the top much like Aidan Moffet in Arab Strap but in a thick Northern Irish accent. Not a radio friendly sound as you can probably guess but one that is different and ear catching none the less. Definitely a Marmite band, you will love them or you will hate them as proven by the reviews the band have on their website in mildly proud irony:
'Conceptually pisspoor and hideously executed vacuous casio holocaust, waste of effort album of total mega hit - Playlouder being one of the less than rave reviews for their recent White Elephant album. Then again one magazine gave the first Arab Strap album nought out of ten so what do reviewers know?

Personally, I like them and want to hear more, the minimalist electro and savage speaking voice give The Vichy Government something different and something interesting that I recommend you check out. Download the single you might hate them, but hell. You can download it for 79p and it's well worth it. A band named after the Nazi puppet government of occupied France understandably have a political edge to their lyrics - both The Man Delusion and its B-side Flytipping have more than a little satirical stab at modern society. The lead track is an attack on modern Darwinists who think that putting your trust in man over god is the way forward. Lyrics like 'Your atheism is fine and grand, but your mistake being to believe in man' shows that The Vichy boys don't sign up to this theory.

Flytipping is an ironic homage to flytippers in dodgy council estates and again shows The Vichy's view on modern society: 'I'm critiquing a culture that gets what it deserves'. So go and buy the single: you might just find a great cult band you could fall head over heels for and you might just help restore The Vichy Government's faith in modern day people.