3 STARS
‘Chaleur Humaine’, the debut album by Christine and the Queens has been popular in France since its release back in 2014 but it wasn’t until this year that us Brits got a hold of an English version.
You probably won’t have heard of this artist directly but Christine and the Queens is the (as of yet) less accomplished French answer to ‘Florence and the Machine’. The album has been blowing up across the country and if you’re a fan of The 1975, you’re bound to fall in love with this album. Although, we at Her Campus have been enjoying it, we don’t think it’s perfect yet. Don’t get me wrong, the album has plenty of potential and a few songs that we wouldn’t change. But, unfortunately, I think it’s a sad case of production gone too far.
The opening track, ‘iT’, reminds me of the 2013 hit ‘Royals’ by Lorde and the artificial bassline and beat are the bare bones of the piece, which give it a nice depth. However, it gets very repetitive towards the end so I feel it could have ended sooner, a problem shared by the closing song: ‘Here’.
Although the album is centred on unusual lyrical rhythms, ‘Saint Claude’ manipulates this most effectively. The syncopation adds intrigue; I like that this has been transferred over from original French version as well as some French lyricism towards the end. This song also has a nice minimal build to the chorus that later tracks are missing.
‘Tilted’ is likely the only track you’ll already know; at least, that was the case for me! Further irregular rhythms here add to the funky feel and remind me most of The 1975 (particularly their song ‘The Sound’). For me personally, I would have liked a contrasting section somewhere to bring light and shade.
‘No Harm is Done’ and ‘Jonathan’ are ones to miss. The former has no progression from start to end, just mere repetition. The latter doesn’t really go anywhere and seems more like a background instrumental than a song in its own right.
The strange sounds across ‘Science Fiction’ didn’t seem to have a point. Maybe this was intentional but I don’t find satisfaction from what sounds like annoying toddler toys! The composition of lyrics and piano accompaniment, however, work really well. It’s a shame for the weird noises. They spoil what would otherwise be my favourite song.
‘Paradise Perdus’ and ‘Night 52’ are my two favourite slow tracks. ‘Paradise Perdus’ doesn’t feel over-produced (unlike some of the other songs) and reminds me of Gabrielle Aplin’s ‘English Rain’ Album, which is always a positive. As a piano player, I’m probably biased, but I think the accompaniment in both suits Héloïse’s voice much better.
‘Narcissus is Back’ and ‘Half Ladies’ are the best upbeat songs. ‘Narcissus is Back’ is well balanced between a minimalist approach and big production techniques. I’d love to hear an acoustic version with simplistic piano and cajon drum underneath the vocals. Maybe I love ‘Half Ladies’ because it reminds me of Michael Jackson’s ‘Man in the Mirror’, immediately capturing your attention. If it’s not that, it’s definitely the deep, repeated saxophone riff towards the end!
To conclude, ‘Chaleur Humaine’ adopts a fun and undeniably creative perspective towards our currently predictable chart music. The music has a lot of potential but, unfortunately, it feels over-done to me. I’d like to hear an acoustic version of some of the songs to see where they began because I think I’d prefer them if they weren’t overcrowded with digital effects. I give the album 3 stars.
Edited by: Jess Greaney
Sources:
http://www.chartsinfrance.net/Christine-and-the-Queens/news-98823.html
https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/albums/christineandthequeens