Search - Francoiz Breut :: Unce Saison Volee

Une saison volée (A stolen season)

jqr | Brooklyn | 07/29/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Une saison volée falls right in line with the other two Francoiz Breut LPs, "Vingt ou trente mille jours" and her self-titled debut. It's dark, brooding, mysterious, full of reverb-accented acoustic instruments backed up with tasteful samples and stark percussion. It's more of a personal record than the first two: somehow, whether it's the folded-paper CD case, the chiaroscuro of the unposed snapshots, or the simplicity of the songs, the record gives off a strong DIY vibe.



I imagine that the whole album was recorded in someone's barn over a long weekend with a couple of extremely talented musicians who know each other extremely well. To take one song as an example, "Km 83" offers an earnest strummed guitar accompaniment, with marimba and organ flourishes, along with some faint synthesized boiler-knocking sounds further into the song, all clearly subordinate to Francoiz's gorgeous voice.



Yes, her voice is still astonishing. It's a contralto, breathy but full, supple, and tonal. She actually sings real notes and melodies, and her material suits her perfectly. Francoiz doesn't push her voice to sing; she lets the notes come to her voice except for rare moments, like the emotional chorus to "Please Be Angry." And even there, she doesn't let the melody fade from her voice like so many of her thin-voiced vocal counterparts, she holds onto it as she sings harder and more emphatically. While most of Une saison volée is in French, this disc also features Francoiz warbling in Italian ("Ultimo"), Spanish ("Ciudad del Mar"), as well as two tunes in English ("Over All" and "Please Be Angry").



"La boîte de nuit" is my choice for the most accomplished cut on the disc. It tells the story of a woman waiting for her man outside a nightclub. The guitar is electric, reminiscent of the Police's Synchronicity, and the song fades out with a vibraphone solo. The vocal treatment, naturally, is spot on; Francoiz sounds like Brigitte Fontaine the way she grabs onto the melody and uses her voice to interpret the lyrics, not just sing them.



The songs don't vary much in tonal palette, tempo, or mood; the album is pretty much all torch-songs. The earlier songs on the disc are the most conventional. As the listening set progresses more noise and electronic elements are added, such as the unpleasant vinyl-like scratches on "Ciudad del Mar." At the end, "Contourne-moi" sports a mechanical percussion sound on a different meter than her singing, leaving the listener feeling jarred and ill at ease. Not a great way to finish up what is in many ways a very accomplished album. For this reason I give "Une saison volée" only four stars, not the five that her two previous and more well-rounded efforts deserve."

An interesting third release from Francoiz...

Indie Maverick | Honolulu | 11/14/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First off, if you enjoy Francoiz Breut or French indie music then buy Une Saison Volee. I've given it four stars since I don't feel it's quite on par with her first two CDs (Francoiz Breut and Vingt A Trente Mille Jours) which were a bit darker and somewhat more melodic (they also happen to be two of my favorite CDs of all time and I should really give them ten or fifteen stars each). Still, the CD takes its own direction and shows another facet of her musical talent. She has a tight band on this production and although Dominique A is not represented very much (2 songs), the songwriting stands well. This is highly inventive and emotional stuff, from driving rock to sensual tenderness, but always with an edge. Francoiz is an excellent and sensitive musician and her work is bold and original. She sings in French, English, Italian, and Spanish on this album. I purchased this CD through a third party seller in Canada for roughly half the amazon.com price."