Ethereal, eccentric and avant-garde
Redcar les Adorables Étoiles (Prologue) is Christine and the Queens’ third studio album released on November 11th, 2022. This album is filled with experimental concepts and sounds, taking the listener on a trip to a place of mystery, sorrow and bittersweet feelings. The vocal production and simple instrumentals have influences from synth pop icons such as Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys. With an additional touch of classic rock influences, the album creates an expansive listening journey while still maintaining a sense of the cohesiveness.
“Ma Bien Aimée Bye Bye” has a pop-rock feel to it, incorporating production techniques from various forms of experimental pop. The thin sounding pads support the overall instrumental and the prominent bassline and guitar solos heard throughout the track. The phasers on the electric guitar allow for a different vibe to be introduced and set the tone for the experimentation that occurs throughout the album. The next track, “Tu Sais ce Qu’il Me Faut” demonstrates how eccentric the vocals are on this album with its introduction alone. The layered vocals, with entirely individualized tones and emotions create an incredibly ethereal feel to not only the track, but what’s expected from the rest of the album. The mix on the vocals also is extremely raw. It gives the track an avant-garde feel, with not only the variety of production techniques, but how the mix sounds overall.
“La Chanson du Chevalier,” “La Clairefontaine”, and “Looking for Love” all are heavily influenced by ‘80s synth pop. Through the percussion choices and synth basslines, it becomes apparent that Christine and the Queens fell into the synth-pop rabbit hole that most pop artists are becoming influenced by today. The eerie and reverb-drenched vocals still allow for the experimental aspect of the album to stay apparent, but the instrumentals are quite simple and include various sounds heard in pop music today and from decades ago.
“Combien de Temps” has major classic rock influences not only in the prominent electric guitars, but also in the minute details of the instrumentals. More specifically, an organ can be heard taking the listener back to the ‘70s and ‘80s. The vocals are a lot more powerful and sassy in this track, which contrasts beautifully with the next track, “Angelus” which has an R&B feel to it. Despite the difference in influences, the album still remains consistent through its vocal production.
The last track “Les Âmes Amantes” closes the album with tasteful production techniques mixed cohesively with classic synth-pop. It wraps up the album and provides the listener with one last track to sum up the overall message and sonic theme.
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