Review:

on 2008-05-31 Kaarlo Said:

I cannot remember the last time I actually wanted to return to an album, that combines classical arrangements and traditional French chanson. Hell, I cannot even remember owning anything else of the like. Pierre Lapointes La Forêt de Mal-Aimés (the literal translation being The Forest of the Unpopular) is a musical curveball by a long shot, decidedly folksy at times, but also inexplicably beautiful and warm. Adding electronics to his previous palette, one featuring piano and strings and the occasional guitar and drums, he creates an atmosphere of isolation and unconventional charm.

Lapointe has only recently become a household name in French-speaking families, mostly in Québec and northern France, and it was only with this album, his third, that he was able to get his break outside the indie scene. With the first single, Deux par Deux Rassemblés, which almost accidentally found its way into mainstream radio and surprised us with one of the wittiest videos of 2006, he was suddenly being called the modern Serge Gainsbourg, a deity among mere troubadours.

On the opener, Dans la Forêt de Mal-Aimés, Lapointe sings with warmth, yet uncertainty, and begins by asking one of the pivotal questions of the album: Mais pourquoi donc êtes-vous venus/dans cette forêt aux coins perdus? What brings you to this godforsaken forest? He questions the listeners motives, maybe even his own background (he was born in Alma, Québec, a small town in the northern woodlands). Hes an outlaw of the music business, at least he feels that way, phrasing his songs in flawless prose, as if Alexandre Jardin himself had written the lyrics, his voice always on the verge of breaking or faltering.

Between distinct sections in the album, Lapointe has placed two fantastic instrumentals, 25-1-14-14 and 25-1-14-14.6, which sway and meander around themes, mixing classical piano melodies and the occasional buzz and hum of electronics. The first three songs are initially the catchiest, but Lapointe knows his way around the obvious elephant traps, never letting songs wander too far off track. Au 27-100 Rue des Partances finds him at his most playful musically, while displaying his talent for meditative lyrics. Me pardonneras-tu mes maladresses denfant? he asks perplexed, unsure about the fate of a relationship. Will you forgive me for my childish clumsiness?

Lapointes obvious perks, his unique voice and his skills as a composer, guide the listener calmly through most of the album, even when some weaker songs (notably De Glace and LEquipage) break the pace. Quen Est-Il de la Chance has Lapointe taking chances, as he combines drum machines, 80s pop strings and a decent bass groove. The result is memorable, yet hard to grasp. As the song dies down just over the two minute mark, listeners will be left with surprisingly little to mull over.

In the end, its the variety and the versatility of the album that make it alluring. Songs like Deux par Deux Rassemblés and Au Noms des Cieux Galvanisés feature first-rate rhythms and refreshing takes on traditional French song structures, whereas Tous Les Visages approaches the subject more conservatively with whispered lyrics and Lapointes personal choir. Even when some songs will split audiences, the album certainly deserves all the hype and the half a dozen Felix awards it has received. Whether or not he will charm English-speaking audiences, however, remains to be seen.

Rating: 8/10