Emilie Simon - The Big Machine

In the early years of the decade, french were in good position in the field of electro music. Who hasn't heard about French Touch. But if bands as Air or Daft Punk are "french artists who do worlwide music", Emilie Simon used to be one of those artists who do down-tempo (or trip-hop, call it as you want), but in a french way. What is the most obvious is that she sang mostly in french. The other difference is that she was loved by the "mainstream" french journalism, and was listened by a lot of people who didn't even know what means "downtempo" or "french touch". And she won many "Victoires de la Musique" a french version of the Grammy Awards. Usually the "Victoires de la Musique" are known for awarding people who respresent "the french cultural exception" and who are hated by alternative music fans. There are a few exceptions to this rule and Emilie Simon was three times one of them, for her two LPs and for the soundtrack of "La Marche de l'empereur" (released abroad with the name "March of the Penguins").

Her last record was released three years ago. What happened during these three years? She toured (I saw her in the opening of a gig of Placebo...), and she expatriated in NYC. It leads us directly to the genesis of her third album, "The Big Machine", released... Tomorrow. She tried to re-invent her style, with the new inspiration she found in Big Apple. She experimented playing in bars where nobody knew her... As a consequence, The Big Machine is totally different compared to what she did before... For sure, many fans of her will be disapointed by this new LP, but she may reach a (larger?) new audience, particularly abroad. Singing mostly in english on it will help, but the sound and the compositions, in a style very "electro-pop" are also in the current mood of indie music. But on this album she distinguishes a lot by her voice, which is the leading element of the songs, and in a very powerfull way. The melodies are quite complex so it is difficult to really love it at a first listening. But it's worth trying to listen it several times before judging it.

In my opinion another characteristic of this record is that it is very influenced by her classical musical studies when she was young. She controls her voice in many "ranges" (what's the english for "registre"?!) and has a lot of amplitude and she uses this tools in pop songs, which sounds very original. And in the writing of the music, there's something so classical, so "un-pop"...

I really hope she will be disovered by anglo-saxons, but unfortunatly, these new characteristics in her music may disapoint too much the french audience... But who cares... And I really think she could make a buzz particularly in the US, moreover if Pitchfork has the good idea to make a report about this record. And with her unique wearing style and her pretty good-looking appearance, there is no doubt she is able to conquier not only ears...

Tracklist:

1. Rainbow

2. Dreamland

3. Nothing to do with you
4. Chinatown

5. Ballad of the big machine

6. The cycle

7. Closer

8. The devil at my door

9. Rocket to the moon

10. Fool like us

11. The way I see you

12. This is your world