Jacques were a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band, formed as a side project by

Anthony Reynolds Anthony Reynolds is a Welsh musician. He has worked as a solo artist and in collaboration with others in his bands Jack and Jacques. Jack In 1993, Reynolds moved to London, where he formed the group Jack, on lead vocals, signing a music publ ...

and Matthew Scott, singer and guitarist with

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. They released two albums and several EPs between 1997 and 2001.

History

Their first album, ''How to Make Love Volume 1'', produced by

Momus Momus (; Ancient Greek: Μῶμος ''Momos'') in Greek mythology was the personification of satire and mockery, two stories about whom figure among Aesop's Fables. During the Renaissance, several literary works used him as a mouthpiece for their ...

and recorded in seven days, was released in 1997 to mixed and extreme reviews. The band, at this point consisting of Reynolds, Scott and violinist Ruth Gottlieb (who would also play on

Jack's Jack's Family Restaurants, LP (doing business as Jack's) is an American fast food restaurant chain, headquartered and based in Birmingham, Alabama. Restaurants feature sit-down dining, drive-thrus and takeout service. The menu features primari ...

The Jazz Age The Jazz Age was a period from 1920 to the early 1930s in which jazz music and dance styles gained worldwide popularity. The Jazz Age's cultural repercussions were primarily felt in the United States, the birthplace of jazz. Originating in New O ...

'') played shows in the UK and

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in support of the album. Ned Raggett of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

remarked, "Jacques makes an elegantly dissipated debut with ''How to Make Love, Vol. 1''." Their rapid-fire approach to recording continued with the ''Five Finger Discount'' EP, a collaboration with poet Kirk Lane, recorded over Christmas 1997. Second album ''To Stars'', recorded in 1999 and released the following year, featured a more expansive sound and was received more warmly by critics. Produced by former U2 engineer Rob Kirwaun, it featured contributions by Bryan Mills of

the Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' (, ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun and completed around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of the greatest wor ...

, among others. A mooted third album, ''Happiness'', was abandoned when the band were dropped by their record label, Setanta. They went on to release a pair of EPs in 2001 for the Spanish Acaruela label, but have been inactive since.

Discography

Albums

* ''How to Make Love Volume 1'' ( Setanta, 1997) * ''To Stars'' (Setanta, 2000)

Singles / EPs

* "Five Finger Discount" (I Records, 1997) * ''Faster Than Beauty'' EP (Mistemacbari, 1999) * "Blue Party" ( Setanta, 2000) * ''Roses for Ashes'' EP (Acaruela, 2001) * ''Romantic'' EP (Acaruela, 2001)

References

{{reflist Musical groups established in 1997 Musical groups disestablished in 2002 English alternative rock groups