''The Philosophy of Momus'' is the ninth studio album by Scottish musician Momus. It was released on 1 April 1995 through

Nippon Columbia , often pronounced ''Korombia'', operating internationally as , is a Japanese record label founded in 1910 as Nipponophone Co., Ltd. It affiliated itself with the Columbia Graphophone Company of the United Kingdom and adopted the standard UK C ...

in Japan, and

Cherry Red Records Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded in Malvern, Worcestershire by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything But the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as well ...

in the United Kingdom.

Background

''The Philosophy of Momus'' was the first album released after leaving Creation Records, and the second album released on Nippon Columbia, Momus's first major label. It also was one of the first albums released after gaining a cult following in the USA, and mainstream status in Japan. Though Momus claimed in a 1995 interview with ''Kill Pearl Jam Dead'' that much of the album's lyrical content was similar to previous releases, he increasingly became interested in Japanese subjects, reflective of his collaborations with artists like

Kahimi Karie , better known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer, songwriter and photographer. Her music is closely associated with the Shibuya-kei aesthetic. Karie sings in English, French and Japanese, among other languages. Karie began her music caree ...

and newfound popularity in Japan. The album was released the year following Momus's marriage to Shazna Nessa, a

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

-born teenager, and their relocation to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. It was recorded in London and Paris. The album frequently references figures in art and pop culture, including Jamaican record producer

Lee "Scratch" Perry Lee "Scratch" Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry; 20 March 1936 – 29 August 2021) was a Jamaican record producer, composer and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development o ...

and Japanese eroticist Kuniyoshi Kaneko. Track 19, "The Sadness of Things", was written by Momus with

Ken Morioka Ken Morioka ( ja, 森岡賢; March 15, 1967 – June 3, 2016) was a Japanese musician, keyboardist, composer, and music producer. He died of heart failure at the age of 49. In addition to being a member of influential synthpop group Soft Ballet, ...

, a member of Japanese electronic group

Soft Ballet Soft Ballet was a Japanese electronic group formed in 1987. The group consisted of three members, Maki Fujii, Ken Morioka, and Ryoichi Endo, though they employed extra support members for live shows. While Soft Ballet weren't necessarily chart topp ...

and frequent collaborator in the visual kei scene.

Reception

''The Philosophy of Momus'' received mixed reviews from the British press.

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

's Mark Luffman panned the album as "a jamboree bag of aphorisms", stating its "featherweight sheen" of music was overpowered by the "cod-philosophising" of Momus' lyrics.

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

's John Robinson gave the album a more positive review, rating the album 7/10. Robinson called ''The Philosophy of Momus'' "intense and witty" and compared Momus to a " Leonard Cohen for the '90s". British newspaper

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

also gave a positive review, calling it "witty and always perfectly measured" and comparing the album's sound to the

Pet Shop Boys The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo i ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's Steve Huey rated the album 6/10, praising the album's production.

Track listing

Personnel

* Tracks 1-18 written by Nick Currie * Music on Track 19 written by

* Recorded by Nick Currie * Mastered by Denis Blackham * Artwork by Nick Currie * Liner notes by Kahimi Karie

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Philosophy of Momus 1995 albums Momus (musician) albums