Cousteau are a London-based band who enjoyed considerable international success, particularly in Italy and the U.S. from 1999 to 2003. The band's sound has been compared to Burt Bacharach, Scott Walker and David Bowie with an updated contemporary edge.
Their best known song remains the single 'The Last Good Day of the Year', from their eponymous debut album. It has featured in advertisements (such as those for Nissan in the US and Borsci in Italy), feature films (such as Happily Ever After, with Charlotte Gainsborg, winner of the Special Selection category at the Toronto Film Festival 2005, and South Kensington with Rupert Everett), and documentaries and television programmes around the world. It also enjoyed radio play on both BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2 in the UK, later becoming a staple of the NPR and AAA networks in the US.
History
The first release of the 1999 eponymous album was 'home-made' and included many demos produced for various major labels. 3,000 copies of the album were pressed by indie label Global Warming, and sold out after receiving good reviews, including a 5-star review in Uncut magazine, and recommended album in Time Out London. When the band signed to Chris Blackwell's Palm Pictures label a decision was made to re-record the majority of the album (two tracks, including 'Last Good Day of the Year', were not changed). On re-release the album was Album Of The Week in The Guardian in the UK, and went on to sell more than 230,000 copies internationally.
The band achieved gold-record status in Europe after years of consistent touring and promotion, including tours supporting The Dandy Warhols, David Gray, and Goldfrapp.
In 2002 the second album, Sirena, was released; the version released in the US included a DVD with videos and unreleased live songs. This album sold over 80,00 copies, and contains the singles 'Talking to Myself' and '(Damn These) Hungry Times'. Sirena was met with critical acclaim from the likes of Rolling Stone, USA Today and Billboard, and most notably a 2-page colour feature in the New York Times. In 2005 Sirena was awarded Classic Album status in The Sydney Morning Herald.
The band's line-up changed when songwriter/producer Davey Ray Moor left to pursue production jobs in Italy, such as the No. 4 album Dove Sei Tu for Cristina Dona, a solo album 'Telepathy', released in Europe in the USA (included in Republica's Critics Top 100, 2004) and television soundtracks such as Channel 4's Supernanny. More recently Davey is a senior lecturer at Bath Spa University where he teaches production, songwriting, marketing and performance.
Songwriting duties were taken on by singer Liam McKahey, and after a change in record companies, the group returned in 2005 with the album Nova Scotia, produced by U2's engineer Ger McDonnel. Nova Scotia was released in the US in 2006 under the name of Moreau, for legal reasons.
The HBO network in the US continues to licence Cousteau's earlier work, with their song 'Mesmer' appearing in a feature about Heidi Fleiss, and 'The Last Good Day of The Year' in the HBO film Tell Me You Love Me and again in the 2005 French movie Happily Ever After.
In 2008 Cousteau remain inactive, but lead singer Liam McKahey is preparing a solo album release, samples of which can be heard on his My Space site.
Members
Current
- Liam McKahey – vocals, percussion
- Robin Brown – guitars
- Joe Peet – bass guitar, violin, double bass
- Tom Clues - guitars
Former
- Davey Ray Moor – songwriter, multiple instruments - on Cousteau and Sirena
- Craig Vear – drums - on all albums
- Dan Moore – keyboards on Nova Scotia
- Dan Church – drums on the Global Warming Cousteau album
- Paul Wigens – played drums on the 2005 tour
- Chloë March – played keyboards on the 2005 tour
Discography
Albums
- Cousteau 1999, Global Warming Ltd (GLOB CD 5)
- Cousteau (reissue) 2000, Palm Pictures Ltd (PALMCD 2058-2)
- Sirena 2002, Palm Pictures Ltd (PALMCD 2083-2)
- Sirena (Italian release with different artwork) 2002, Nun Entertainment (NUN 0139782)
- Sirena (US enhanced CD / DVD release with different track order and artwork) 2002, Palm Pictures Ltd (PALMCD 2083-2)
- Nova Scotia 2005, Endeavour (602498711996)
- Nova Scotia (US release as 'Moreau', with different artwork and two bonus tracks) 2005, One Little Indian Records (OL1728)
Singles (CD)
- The Last Good Day Of The Year 1999, Global Warming Ltd (WARM CD 6)
The Last Good Day Of The Year (radio mix) / Captain Swing / Love In The Meantime / The Last Good Day Of The Year (album mix)
- She Don't Hear Your Prayer 2000, Palm Pictures Ltd (PPCD 7032-2)
She Don't Hear Your Prayer / Lovers In A Loveless Place (Babyman Remix) / Late September Rain
- The Last Good Day Of The Year 2000, Palm Pictures Ltd (PPCD 7043-2)
The Last Good Day Of The Year / Captain Swing / Rachael Lately
- The Last Good Day Of The Year (US promotional enhanced CD) 2001, Palm Pictures Ltd (PRCD v20581)
The Last Good Day Of The Year / Mesmer / You My Lunar Queen / The Last Good Day Of The Year (video)
- Into The Blue EP (US promotional EP) 2001, Palm Pictures Ltd (PRCD v20583)
She Don't Hear Your Prayer (live) / (Shades Of) Ruinous Blue (live) / Jump In The River (live) / Rachael Lately
- Into The Blue EP (Italian promotional EP) 2001, Nun Entertainment/Tutto magazine
Heavy Weather (album version) / The Last Good Day of the Year (remix by Feel Good Production) / The Last Good Day of the Year (live) / She Don't Hear Your Prayer (live) / (Shades Of) Ruinous Blue (live) / Jump In The River (live)
- Wish You Were Her 2001, Palm Pictures Ltd (PPCD 7049-2)
Wish You Were Her / To Know Her / The Cuttlefish Walks The Cuttlefish Waltz
- Talking To Myself 2002, Palm Pictures Ltd (PPCD 7074-2)
Talking To Myself / Short Sighted, Beautiful And Shy / Last Secret Of The Sea
- (Damn These) Hungry Times 2002, Palm Pictures Ltd (PPCD 7089)
(Damn These) Hungry Times (Bedroom Rockers Remix Radio Edit) / (Damn These) Hungry Times (album version) / Nothing So Bad
- Sadness 2005, Endeavour (602498714133)
Sadness / Nova Scotia / World Away
Other contributions
- WYEP Live and Direct: Volume 4 - On Air Performances (2002) - "Last Good Day of the Year"
- KINK LIVE (2002) - "Last Good Day of the Year"
- Live @ The World Cafe Tenth Anniversary Edition (2001) - "Last Good Day of the Year"
- From the Mountain Music Lounge Volume 9 (2003) - "Last Good Day of the Year"
- City Folk Live IV (2001) - "Last Good Day of the Year"
- DETLIVE Vol 3 (2002) - "Your Day Will Come"
- Sounds Eclectic Too (2002) - "You My Lunar Queen"
- Sing a Song for You Tribute to Tim Buckley (2002) - "Blue Melody"
External links
