Christopher Frost
Torsten The Beautiful Libertine
Erasure’s Andy Bell presents his 6th solo album ‘Torsten, The Beautiful Libertine’, a follow up to 2014’s groundbreaking and critically acclaimed album and Edinburgh Fringe Festival show, ‘Torsten, The Bareback Saint’.
Presented in mini gatefold sleeve LP style packaging with black vinyl effect CD and a 20 page lyrics booklet with all new colour photographs.
Andy states, “Torsten seems to me like a dream that has come true! I was told the piece was especially written with me in mind & I really believe that! So many aspects of the various songs resonate with parts of my life so I know I was there / am here! There is a melancholic beauty held within the songs & I think I’ve had enough heartache & painful soul searching to do them justice but have managed to retain a certain naïveté in spite of these experiences! Torsten bears witness to these scars.”
On the album Andy assumes the character of Torsten who is described as a “polysexual semi-immortal”. Torsten has had, over time, many lovers and friends whom ultimately he has outlived. That he himself survives is a bittersweet truth, but it is with an increasingly melancholic emotional distance from people. The album is a wonderfully evocative exposition of the mind, mirth and mania of an ‘everyman’ who finds himself in extraordinary circumstances. The songs effortlessly combine pop and theatricality in their lush arrangements and Andy’s voice has never been so dramatically expressive.
Andy explains, “I love my Torsten …… Even more now that he is becoming slightly unhinged…. Unravelling before our very eyes! I don’t believe that his spirit will ever be broken though; for all his lives & lovers & losses, the songs from the ‘Beautiful Libertine’ have a healing quality & a deep resonance that make you realise that he is putting everything into perspective & coping……..just!”
Following the album’s release, songs from both Torsten albums featured in the musical stage show “Torsten, The Beautiful Libertine” starring Andy Bell at the Above The Stag Theatre in Vauxhall, London throughout March 2016.
Album Reviews
"... the arrangements from Christopher Frost seem somehow more detailed, more complex, particularly on songs like the majestic pop of 'Loitering With Intent', 'We Were Singing Along With Liza' or 'My Precious One', or the fragile grace of 'Photos Of Daniel'. It would perhaps be unfair to call this a more polished affair, but that's exactly how it sounds."
(This Is Not Retro, March 2016)
"The album is a score of rebellion, a master class in bearing your soul in the medium of art and in each song it is possible to believe that the artist’s depth of character is mingling, blending and ultimately merging with that of the hedonistic Torsten. 8.5/10"
(Livepool Sound and Vision, March 2016)
"...there is certainly no doubt that Torsten The Beautiful Libertine is nothing short of wonderful! Final Rating: 9/10"
(The Singing Whovian - Jonjo Cosgrove, March 2016)
Track Listing
1. Statement Of Intent
2. Beautiful Libertine
3. Loitering With Intent
4. This Town Needs Jesus
5. The Slums We Loved
6. Lady Domina Bizarre
7. (Oooh Baby, You're So) Queercore!
with Lana Pillay
8. BJ4C
9. I’m Your Lover
10. Rupert Drinks Vodka
11. We Were Singing Along To Liza
12. Photos Of Daniel
13. I Am The Boy Who Smiled At You
14. Bond Street Catalogues
15. My Precious One
16. To Have And To Hold
17. Statement Of Intent (Reprise)
Andy Bell's sixth studio album is a musical groundbreaker. Matinee Radio is proud to present Andy Bell's sixth studio album Torsten, The Beautiful Libertine, the follow up to his 2014 critically acclaimed album and Edinburgh Fringe Festival show Torsten, The Bareback Saint. This is a musical unlike any other we've played on Matinee, with it's fusion of lush orchestration, classic musical moments and electronic euphoria ... Andy has captured something which, despite the moments of heartbreak, loss and despair is incredibly uplifting and beautiful ... The songs effortlessly combine pop and theatricality in their arrangements and Andy's voice has never been so dramatically expressive.
Awards
Matinee Radio, the national radio station for musical theatre, recently revealed 'Torsten The Beautiful Libertine' as being in their top ten musicals of 2016!
Matinee Radio wrote of the show, performed in March 2016 at the Above The Stag Theatre: "Torsten The Beautiful Libertine touched many hearts in the most uplifting and unconventional show of 2016".
"My Precious One" from the "Andy Bell Is ... Torsten The Beautiful Libertine" album was awarded 'Best Pop Rock Song' in the Akademia Music Awards for December 2016! Watch the accompanying music video here: My Precious One
