Good to Be the King

Not to be confused with the king of the French from 1830 to 1848, Philippe Auclair is known as Louis Philippe when the Frenchman records music, and his gorgeous sound is chamber pop that's reminiscent of the Left Banke or the Clientele to these ears. Philippe's heyday came between those two bands, and today's single is from 1987.

Philippe's a real renaissance man, known as much as a football journalist as a musician, but it's amazing how often his name pops up on records in our collections. He's worked with many of my favorites, including Dave Gregory, Martin Newell, Stuart Moxham and Sean O'Hagan, and he was the backbone of the short-lived but legendary Cherry Red subsidiary él Records, in one way or another appearing on more than half of the label's recordings. When él folded, Japan's rabid indie scene saved his recording career, and this song comes from the 1996 Polystar best-of collection 'I Still Believe in You.' Prepare to get hooked to lush indie-pop royalty!

"You Mary You"