Autour de Lucie Albums (4)
'Autour de Lucie-Coffret'
Release Date 11/1/2006
Tracks 21
Label Universal
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The French language has an elegant way of making the most complex things seems natural and carefree, not to mention the most general things appear chewable (did I say that?) and alluring. Autour de Lucie, the indie pop outfit from Paris, taps into such imagery while experimenting with three-dimensional soundscapes for an ethereal beauty on the their third release, Faux Mouvement. The overall composition delicately plays into heavy instrumentation, specifically on album opener "Je Reviens." Electronic samples and free-flowing string arrangements are lightly woven inside Jean-Pierre Ensuque's acoustics. Valérie Leulliot, the vocalic temptress, carries the songs to a setting of an untainted art. One cannot help but to lose themselves within the textured lyrics of Leuillot's intrinsic word play. "Chanson de L'arbre and "Lent" are similarly haunting, more or less seeping into a spirituality gracefully defined by Autour de Lucie's musical maturation throughout the entire record. The French are known for being in touch with their deeper soul; therefore, the vast spectrum between passion, fear, and thought are all woven into a web. "Vide" is a little more aggressive -- stripped guitar riffs and Portishead-like synths provide a harder edge. Faux Mouvement isn't a tangible record. It's something beyond the common threads of alternative rock and the corporate monotony of the late '90s. Autour de Lucie defines their own enchanting pop, but it's not entirely pop music either. In the same vein as Saint Etienne, Ivy, and Emiliana Torrini, Autour de Lucie casts a spell. Faux Mouvement illustrates such impact, and the basic progression between artistic inclusion and the band. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Quite a change from the Sarah Records-type sound of Autour de Lucie's self-titled debut, 1998's Immobile largely trades in the gauzy acoustic guitars for subtle watercolor keyboards and electronic beats too subtle even to be called trip-hop. Like a Francophone Cocteau Twins or perhaps the quieter moments of My Bloody Valentine, Autour de Lucie creates sensuous, dreamy pop music that's got just enough substance to keep from floating off into the ether. As always, most of the charm is due to singer Valérie Leulliot's soft, breathy, but self-assured vocal style, which is like a less-deadpan version of her countrywoman, Laetitia Sadier (Stereolab). It probably helps if one is not fluent in the language of love, since the title of the standout track, the dream pop murmur "La Verité (Sur Ceux Qui Mentent)," translates as "The Truth (About Those Who Lie)," suggesting a distressing level of earnestness. The way the songs subtly introduce jarring, discordant sounds -- like the Cecil Taylor-like piano runs that close the brief instrumental "Sagrada Familia" -- suggests that all is not well on Immobile, and those hints of tension are what give the album its listenability. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide
