La Grande Sophie
The last blog post of 2015 - but not the last album of 2015, which once again has proven to have been yet another bumper year for releases. And what better way to round off this year than with arguably one of the year's outstanding albums from a truly outstanding artist...
If it wasn't enough that La Reine de la musique française - 'L'Ange Rouge' herself - Mylène Farmer released with "Interstellaires" an absolute 'stellar' album and - IMHO - her best since 1995's "Anamorphosée", 2015 has also seen one Sophie Huriaux also deliver - again to these ears at least - an album that is again arguably her best to date.
Sophie Huriaux is probably better known as La Grande Sophie (or amongst us fans, LGS) and the album in question is "Nos histoires" - the follow-up to her "Victoire de la Musique" award winning 2013 album "La Place du fantômes."
"Nos histoires" is Sophie's seventh album and just like Mylène Farmer, demonstrates that music - like a fine wine - definitely improves with age. Whereas "La Place du fantômes" was both introspective and autobiographical in nature, "Nos histoires" feels like a series of encounters - journeys - and the memories they leave.
The album opens with Sophie remembering - melancholically - a fleeting affair. "Les portes claquent" is a bitter-sweet; the flickering flame of passion just as quickly extinguished and replaced by an icy coldness (the 'slamming doors' of the song's title are shut very firmly in Sophie's face). The loss leaving only fading and distant memories; "...Oui je sais, je m'attache, Aux regards, aux souvenirs, Je les dessine à la gouache, Quand ils ne savent plus revenir..." / "...Yes I know, I'm clinging, To looks, to memories, I draw them in poster paint, When they don't know how to return..." and a life of self-imposed solitude... And driven along by metronomic precision, and enlivened by bass, guitar and keys, the pulsating "Ma colère" again addresses themes similar themes. But this time the memories don't lead to reflective self-pity, here the mood is one of a brooding anger that grows ever darker with the passing of time... Sophie's voice is unnervingly calculating and matter-of-fact until the song's surging chorus where she finally loses composure; her darkening disposition illustrated by deft touches of fuzzed and distorted guitar that resonate like thunder...
From several interviews I've read, a cancelled concert in Vietnam back in 2013 (due a period of national mourning caused by the death of Vietnamese hero General Võ Nguyên Giáp) and a subsequent typhoon which prevented Sophie from leaving the capital Hanoi, sowed not only the seeds for "Hanoï" but also the themes explored on this album. The song is in many respects is a homage to both the city and les gens of Hanoi - Sophie allows herself to become immersed by and become one with the city, its rhythm, sounds, people and culture; "...Hanoï, Hanoï, je me souviens, Ton visage, ton parfum, tes ruelles aussi..." / "...Hanoi, Hanoi, I remember, Your face, your perfume, your alleys as well..." - absolutely faultless, this beautiful song is effectively a love song to a city that will be forever in her heart; "...Et ma voix chantonne, Je te reverrai..." / "...And my voice croons, I will see you again..."
Talking of faultless songs, "Tu dors" - Sophie's first piano composition, featuring the immensely talented Jeanne Cherhal behind the ivories - is the most melancholy of compositions, perfectly balanced by just piano and voice. The song seemingly refers to a fear (real or imaginary - it isn't obvious and is left to the listener to decide) of a relationship fracturing. But the truth is that sometimes the best songs really don't require any introduction...
"Maria Yudina" is inspired by (as Sophie describes) a virtual encounter with the great Russian piano virtuoso (the song features an incredibly bouncy piano accompaniment that permeates throughout the song). Folklore suggests she was Stalin's favourite pianist, yet was an uncompromising critic of the Soviet regime. Awarded the Stalin Prize, she donated the monetary portion to the Orthodox Church. Throughout the song, Sophie insists that despite the parallels - one a self-taught pianist, the other a self-taught guitarist - she isn't Maria; "...I don't have a revolver in bottom of my bag..."
"La maison des doutes" finds Sophie deep in self-analysis - to the listener it is akin to eavesdropping on her private thoughts - proclaiming that she displays her doubts like 'the pearls of a necklace' which always threaten to strangle her, it's perhaps the most autobiographical of songs and while Sophie hides her doubts behind the jaunty and upbeat melody, every now and again the cracks surface as a slightly pensive mood takes hold. "Mille visages" seems to follow a similar theme as here Sophie looks through herself in the mirror - but beyond the physical image of age - deep-down age is actually a matter of mood or feeling, be it the youthfulness of spring, the smile of summer or the withering of winter. Sophie compares her age to the weather - which if she's as upbeat as the accompaniment to this song, all rockin' guitars and rhythmic percussion - she's feeling bright and sunny.
If it wasn't enough that La Reine de la musique française - 'L'Ange Rouge' herself - Mylène Farmer released with "Interstellaires" an absolute 'stellar' album and - IMHO - her best since 1995's "Anamorphosée", 2015 has also seen one Sophie Huriaux also deliver - again to these ears at least - an album that is again arguably her best to date.
Sophie Huriaux is probably better known as La Grande Sophie (or amongst us fans, LGS) and the album in question is "Nos histoires" - the follow-up to her "Victoire de la Musique" award winning 2013 album "La Place du fantômes."
"Nos histoires" is Sophie's seventh album and just like Mylène Farmer, demonstrates that music - like a fine wine - definitely improves with age. Whereas "La Place du fantômes" was both introspective and autobiographical in nature, "Nos histoires" feels like a series of encounters - journeys - and the memories they leave.
The album opens with Sophie remembering - melancholically - a fleeting affair. "Les portes claquent" is a bitter-sweet; the flickering flame of passion just as quickly extinguished and replaced by an icy coldness (the 'slamming doors' of the song's title are shut very firmly in Sophie's face). The loss leaving only fading and distant memories; "...Oui je sais, je m'attache, Aux regards, aux souvenirs, Je les dessine à la gouache, Quand ils ne savent plus revenir..." / "...Yes I know, I'm clinging, To looks, to memories, I draw them in poster paint, When they don't know how to return..." and a life of self-imposed solitude... And driven along by metronomic precision, and enlivened by bass, guitar and keys, the pulsating "Ma colère" again addresses themes similar themes. But this time the memories don't lead to reflective self-pity, here the mood is one of a brooding anger that grows ever darker with the passing of time... Sophie's voice is unnervingly calculating and matter-of-fact until the song's surging chorus where she finally loses composure; her darkening disposition illustrated by deft touches of fuzzed and distorted guitar that resonate like thunder...
From several interviews I've read, a cancelled concert in Vietnam back in 2013 (due a period of national mourning caused by the death of Vietnamese hero General Võ Nguyên Giáp) and a subsequent typhoon which prevented Sophie from leaving the capital Hanoi, sowed not only the seeds for "Hanoï" but also the themes explored on this album. The song is in many respects is a homage to both the city and les gens of Hanoi - Sophie allows herself to become immersed by and become one with the city, its rhythm, sounds, people and culture; "...Hanoï, Hanoï, je me souviens, Ton visage, ton parfum, tes ruelles aussi..." / "...Hanoi, Hanoi, I remember, Your face, your perfume, your alleys as well..." - absolutely faultless, this beautiful song is effectively a love song to a city that will be forever in her heart; "...Et ma voix chantonne, Je te reverrai..." / "...And my voice croons, I will see you again..."
Talking of faultless songs, "Tu dors" - Sophie's first piano composition, featuring the immensely talented Jeanne Cherhal behind the ivories - is the most melancholy of compositions, perfectly balanced by just piano and voice. The song seemingly refers to a fear (real or imaginary - it isn't obvious and is left to the listener to decide) of a relationship fracturing. But the truth is that sometimes the best songs really don't require any introduction...
"Maria Yudina" is inspired by (as Sophie describes) a virtual encounter with the great Russian piano virtuoso (the song features an incredibly bouncy piano accompaniment that permeates throughout the song). Folklore suggests she was Stalin's favourite pianist, yet was an uncompromising critic of the Soviet regime. Awarded the Stalin Prize, she donated the monetary portion to the Orthodox Church. Throughout the song, Sophie insists that despite the parallels - one a self-taught pianist, the other a self-taught guitarist - she isn't Maria; "...I don't have a revolver in bottom of my bag..."
"La maison des doutes" finds Sophie deep in self-analysis - to the listener it is akin to eavesdropping on her private thoughts - proclaiming that she displays her doubts like 'the pearls of a necklace' which always threaten to strangle her, it's perhaps the most autobiographical of songs and while Sophie hides her doubts behind the jaunty and upbeat melody, every now and again the cracks surface as a slightly pensive mood takes hold. "Mille visages" seems to follow a similar theme as here Sophie looks through herself in the mirror - but beyond the physical image of age - deep-down age is actually a matter of mood or feeling, be it the youthfulness of spring, the smile of summer or the withering of winter. Sophie compares her age to the weather - which if she's as upbeat as the accompaniment to this song, all rockin' guitars and rhythmic percussion - she's feeling bright and sunny.
Inspired by author Delphine de Vigan's 2001 novel "Jours sans faim" ("Days without hunger") - a harrowing tale of a teenager in the last stages of anorexia - "Je n'ai rien vu venir" at first seduces you with it's gentle strumming guitar before the poignancy of the songs lyrics hit home (and if you don't understand French I strongly suggest that you seek out a translation of the lyrics); there's a beauty to the song's chorus which is a complete contrast to the tristesse conveyed by the lyrics; "... Dans le vide je ne vois rien, Invisible, Je voudrais bien, Devenir quelque part, Comme un grain de poussière, Finir dans ta mémoire, En halo de lumière..." / "... In the void I see nothing, I would like to be invisible, To become, Like a grain of dust, To disappear from your memory, In a halo of light..." Actually poignant doesn't come anywhere close to describing "Depuis le 11 Mars." The song's title is the date of the tsunami that hit Fukushima and tells the tale of a husband, who receives a message from his wife to rescue her... It is the last message he received from her. Learning to swim and dive, every day the man dives. Diving into the ocean in forlorn hope that he will find his wife. Even in death this couple are still together... "...Au fond des eaux troubles, J'irai draguer tous les océans, Je te retrouverai, Toi mon seul amour..." / "...To the bottom of the troubled waters, I will dredge all the oceans, I will find you gain, You, my only love..." In many respects the two most harrowing songs of 2015 and by the same time two of the year's most beautiful...
The album closes "Les lacs artificials", a beautiful and dreamy pop song and one which doesn't so much describe a meeting but rather the place and which whisks us away to wispy green river grass, moonlight reflecting in the calm waters, the song's fanticised artificial lakes.
One of the trademarks of La Grande Sophie is the distinctive musical aura that each of her albums creates. Here, supported by the same trio of musicians (Vincent Taurelle, Ludovic Bruni and Vincent Taeger) who've accompanied her on since 2009's "Des vagues et des ruisseaux" "Nos histoires" is delicately coloured with sparse of guitars, crisp percussion, keys or a haunting of piano which fill the spaces behind her beguiling voice.
It's actually quite frustrating to find yourself an amateur of La Grande Sophie here in The States. You'll be hard pressed to find any of her physical releases on anything other than import and best of luck finding a legal téléchargement of the albums that precede "Des vagues et des ruisseaux." Even the official Vevo website has blocked all of her videos from the US - not sure whether that's due to her management or record label (Polydor - to name and shame) - but do try and track her down.
An evening spent in the company of this enchanting Auteure-Compositeur-Interprète is more than worth the effort, especially when the reward is an album as majestic as "Nos histoires."
The Great Sophie. Never has an endorsement rang so true...
La Grande Sophie (Website)
"Nos histoires" (iTunes)
The album closes "Les lacs artificials", a beautiful and dreamy pop song and one which doesn't so much describe a meeting but rather the place and which whisks us away to wispy green river grass, moonlight reflecting in the calm waters, the song's fanticised artificial lakes.
One of the trademarks of La Grande Sophie is the distinctive musical aura that each of her albums creates. Here, supported by the same trio of musicians (Vincent Taurelle, Ludovic Bruni and Vincent Taeger) who've accompanied her on since 2009's "Des vagues et des ruisseaux" "Nos histoires" is delicately coloured with sparse of guitars, crisp percussion, keys or a haunting of piano which fill the spaces behind her beguiling voice.
It's actually quite frustrating to find yourself an amateur of La Grande Sophie here in The States. You'll be hard pressed to find any of her physical releases on anything other than import and best of luck finding a legal téléchargement of the albums that precede "Des vagues et des ruisseaux." Even the official Vevo website has blocked all of her videos from the US - not sure whether that's due to her management or record label (Polydor - to name and shame) - but do try and track her down.
An evening spent in the company of this enchanting Auteure-Compositeur-Interprète is more than worth the effort, especially when the reward is an album as majestic as "Nos histoires."
The Great Sophie. Never has an endorsement rang so true...
La Grande Sophie (Website)
"Nos histoires" (iTunes)
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