Search - Mi & L'au :: If Beauty Is a Crime

After exploring their creative impulses through
strings, horns, pianos, and varied folk influences,
Mi and L au decided to venture into a newer, more
electric environment on their newest record. If
Beauty is a Crime doesn t feature a single guitar.
In fact, you won t find a traditional instrument
anywhere on it. The simple, stripped-down sound for
which they ve become so well known is transformed
on this latest album, shaped unexpectedly by
circuits, programs, and mechanical processes.
But, along with Mira and Laurent s redefined
approach, something familiar found its way
into their music. While making the album, both
musicians noticed the specter of familiar melodies
and rhythms haunting their work; the inspiration
wasn t from a specific song or melodic line, but
from a mood or an idea buried somewhere in
the past. As they investigated this anomalous
influence, they uncovered a shared memory of films
enjoyed during childhood, specifically those scored
by French composer François de Roubaix.
Responsible for the music in well over 30 films, de
Roubaix was known for his use of synthesizers and
drum machines, and for his use of folk elements.
The connection between his work and their current
endeavor was obvious. Subsequently, Mi and L au
immersed themselves in his music even as they
continued to produce their own. Whether by fate or
by coincidence, de Roubaix s music found its way
into their lives just as they were beginning to explore
what electronic sounds could do for them. So, in the
end, they dedicated If Beauty is a Crime to François.
Through their newly discovered electronic voice
something older and more familiar sounded out, and
the result is a stunning fusion of ideas and feelings
that completely redefines Mi and L au s sound.