Ariane Moffatt "22h22"
You wait impatiently for a potential Year-list album to come along, when all of a sudden they tend to roll-up one after another. These past few weeks have seen a veritable tsunami of releases that will be there-or-thereabouts come December... So when I wasn't out and about in coolest Echo Park last week, the album that's been embedding itself in my head these past few days - in fact ever since she teased it to us via her website - has been Ariane Moffatt's abso-fucking-lutely (pardon mon français) gorgeous new album "22h22."
The manifesto of "22h22" - the album's title comes from the time of the day where Ariane, balancing parenthood, family and work, could allow her artistic creativity free rein - could well be "Plastic music. Only buttons, keys and pads, and no guitar or real drums” (Ariane even taped a big red 'X' across the one solitary guitar hanging from the wall of a recording studio chock-full of synthesisers, posting a picture on her Instagram account to that effect). Indeed, the single "Debout" - a stand-out electro-pop dance-floor filler - offered several clues as to what could be expected. At the time I wrote that the song recalled the Euro-pop of Fanny Bloom's "Pan" but whereas the former La Patère Rose vocalist had one foot firmly planted in the late-eighties / early-nineties, here Ariane is focused on a far more contemporary and dreamy synth-pop sound.
The album opens with the title track which creates the back-story to "22h22" - fuzzy analogue synths grow to a crescendo, a metaphor for the sensory overload and chaos of day-to-day life, before abrupt silence.... Ariane finally manages to grab those all important moments of peace and solitude. The song has an incredibly relaxing and minimalist air, mirroring the dream-like tranquility she feels.
The manifesto of "22h22" - the album's title comes from the time of the day where Ariane, balancing parenthood, family and work, could allow her artistic creativity free rein - could well be "Plastic music. Only buttons, keys and pads, and no guitar or real drums” (Ariane even taped a big red 'X' across the one solitary guitar hanging from the wall of a recording studio chock-full of synthesisers, posting a picture on her Instagram account to that effect). Indeed, the single "Debout" - a stand-out electro-pop dance-floor filler - offered several clues as to what could be expected. At the time I wrote that the song recalled the Euro-pop of Fanny Bloom's "Pan" but whereas the former La Patère Rose vocalist had one foot firmly planted in the late-eighties / early-nineties, here Ariane is focused on a far more contemporary and dreamy synth-pop sound.
The album opens with the title track which creates the back-story to "22h22" - fuzzy analogue synths grow to a crescendo, a metaphor for the sensory overload and chaos of day-to-day life, before abrupt silence.... Ariane finally manages to grab those all important moments of peace and solitude. The song has an incredibly relaxing and minimalist air, mirroring the dream-like tranquility she feels.
Dreams are very much of a reoccurring theme and are to the fore on both the atmospheric "Rêve" and "Nostalgie des jours qui tombent." The songs have a noticeable lift of tempo; on the former Ariane's voice seemingly floatings on a calm sea of synthesisers while the latter recalls the faded dreams of youthful innocence. The analogue synths on both lend a soothing and calming touch.
Listening to this album I get the impression that this is very much a personal odyssey - but as much about her family as Ariane - the voices of her twin sons Paul and Henri are sampled on "Matelos & frères" while "Les tireurs fous" sees Ariane wanting to protect them from the omni-present violence of today. In fact given the subject matter and seriousness of this latter song, the hook is ridiculously catchy (in fact she even goes a bit Mylène during the middle-eight).
I like the balance that Ariane has achieved on this album, the nailed-on disco-pop gem that is "Miami," with its strong 80's feel and (whisper it) touch of guitar, "Toute sa vie" and its (synth) steel drums and multi-tracked choir, alongside the pure synth-pop of "De mort à vivant," a tale about reincarnation - which features a Fanny Bloom chorus that out does Fanny Bloom - sit comfortably shoulder-to-shoulder with the plaintive "Domenico" and "Retourner en moi".
However, the highlight of the album has to be "Les deux cheminées" - the type of song that justifies the admission price alone - it's hopelessly romantic and Ariane's voice holds the centre-stage and the attention magnificently...
During her long and varied musical career (her debut album - the mellow and melancholic "Aquanaute" - was released back in 2002), Ariane has never been afraid to experiment and explore her musical boundaries. "22h22" is sympathetic and reflective, without ever feeling too melancholy and is a shining example of contemporary adult synth-pop.
Year-list (encore fois...)
Ariane Moffatt Website
"22h22" (Bandcamp)
Listening to this album I get the impression that this is very much a personal odyssey - but as much about her family as Ariane - the voices of her twin sons Paul and Henri are sampled on "Matelos & frères" while "Les tireurs fous" sees Ariane wanting to protect them from the omni-present violence of today. In fact given the subject matter and seriousness of this latter song, the hook is ridiculously catchy (in fact she even goes a bit Mylène during the middle-eight).
I like the balance that Ariane has achieved on this album, the nailed-on disco-pop gem that is "Miami," with its strong 80's feel and (whisper it) touch of guitar, "Toute sa vie" and its (synth) steel drums and multi-tracked choir, alongside the pure synth-pop of "De mort à vivant," a tale about reincarnation - which features a Fanny Bloom chorus that out does Fanny Bloom - sit comfortably shoulder-to-shoulder with the plaintive "Domenico" and "Retourner en moi".
However, the highlight of the album has to be "Les deux cheminées" - the type of song that justifies the admission price alone - it's hopelessly romantic and Ariane's voice holds the centre-stage and the attention magnificently...
During her long and varied musical career (her debut album - the mellow and melancholic "Aquanaute" - was released back in 2002), Ariane has never been afraid to experiment and explore her musical boundaries. "22h22" is sympathetic and reflective, without ever feeling too melancholy and is a shining example of contemporary adult synth-pop.
Year-list (encore fois...)
Ariane Moffatt Website
"22h22" (Bandcamp)
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