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FREEMUSIC.CZ
Jan Borek Sikula
6/6/2006
Now who's that meowing so sweetly? Ouch, you scratch, too!
Miou Miou
La La Grande Finale
13 tracks / 40:37, Piper
Records
French „big beat“/pop, guitars, a lovely girl's voice. Having
a good time, melancholia, naivety. So now you know almost everything
about „La La Grande Finale“, the first album by the wonderful Miou Miou.
Miou Miou followed through their first full length
album, „La La Grande Finale,“ to perfection on all sides. For example,
their booklet: inside you find seagulls, little boats, cups of coffee,
a wardrobe with summer clothes on hangers, girls' swim-suit, sneakers,
badminton. The result? No worries, freedom, naivety, nostalgia, fun.
Return to childhood. It plays with you, it strokes you, it calms you.
Their music is same pale blue as that of the cd jacket. Light and
airy, Karolina Dytrtova 's female vocals sound dreamy and self-confident
in turns. Guitars and percussion are rather muted, by turning down,
the pleasant party soun is more as chill out. The right amount of
melancholy, French suits her, the listener sense the models/sources/inspiration.
One of us would pull the Ace from his sleeve by referring to Stereolab
also with singer, who knows both French and English (both is and isn't
retro.) From a certain perspective, Lab's music isn't as rich, they
aren't as playful. Miou can even remind one of the refined naive provocateur
Stereo Total. It pleases them – somewhere even MM said it – when in
their own hacking they hear even Serge Gainsbourg, the original chanson
of sweet France's beat-pop.
Chansons. Hits. Soap Operas (Sublime). Romance in three minutes. Joy.
Dreamy pop. (Le Chaos.) Unleashings (La chambre voisine.) Light „big
beat“ with a dash of the psychedelic (Le petit punk.) Pretty compositions.
The seven member rock group plays on probably 40 instruments – from
the legendary archaic piano Vermona to the banjo, accordion, vibrafone,
brass instruments, piano and flute (Le petit punk), including also
sampling and electronics in the mix....This group knows exactly what
instrument to grab when – they even clap to the rhythm (Á l´été de
la Saint-Martin ´68.) They brought 20 guest artists with them to the
recording studio. Though MM are lavish with their strings (Sublime,),
but I swear that they won't sound much different live. I'm looking
forward to singing „Le coupe de ciseaux“ with them, the free-form
hit with the refined female vocals.
Details (for your pleasure): when appropriate, even water flows on
this CD (La coureuse de la nuit.) In the background, an ambulance
wails (Summe volume), a bicycle bell rings (Avant le voyage), and
something squeaks (Le Chaos.) The details are pleasing – thanks to
them, listening to the album is an even greater adventure. Surely
the band themselves enjoy these play-things, they must be a joy to
think up and „install“. And then wait „until it comes around again“.
Words, words... a plus of the album is the French lyrics. They are
about hope and loneliness, love, certainty, helplessness, enchantment,
memories, fantasy. Mainly the kitten hisses only here and there and
unsheathes it's claws. Listening to the CD (and reading the lyrics)
you long to go for a visit to this disorderly young lady, who „when
Christmas cleaning comes around at home, carefully defends all the
spiderwebs....“ (Le Chaos.) As long as she cleans them later herself.
Childrens' dreams return very much alive: the words „Climb up on top
a hill of whipped cream, slide down ice cream, crash up to your ankles
in chocolate cake....“ tops determining „That attempt can't be borne.“
Pretty, joyful, captivating. Thank you, Miou Miou.
Translation: Maggie Skodon
www.freemusic.cz
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© 2006 Miou Miou
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