This came out in 2003 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Britta Phillips and Dean Wareham should be familiar to indie-music lovers as the bassist and leader of dream-poppers Luna. Devotees of that band will recall that Phillips and Wareham have performed a hypnotic version of the Serge Gainsbourg–Brigitte Bardot ’60s chestnut Bonnie & Clyde. And fans of old movies like Bonnie and Clyde may know L’Avventura (The Adventure), an art-house classic about alienation, doomed romance and emotional barrenness.
Put all of that together — and then put legendary producer Tony Visconti at the helm — and you have the superb L’Avventura, a compelling collection of dark-hearted ballads and intriguing covers. Over languidly paced, lushly textured tracks that vary from woozy psychedelia to lightly bubbly electro to sweeping orch-pop, Wareham and Phillips intertwine their voices with an effortless beauty, delivering Madonna’s I Deserve It and The Doors’ Indian Summer with the same hushed yearning and controlled passion as original gems like Threw It Away and Your Baby. Soothing, exquisite and just plain lovely, L’Avventura provides a memorable sonic and emotional journey.
