My Psychédélices epiphany

[dreamer]

Ok, so I was listening to Psychédélices once again and I don't know why I didn't see/hear this sooner but: This album is so very good.:):):)

Some songs have really nice orchestration and subtle little details (and it is details that can make the difference between a good and a great song IMHO) that really make it special. Most of songs are not as "easy on the ears" as those on Gourmandises and Mes Courants Électriques but most of it is also more interesting. Alizée has definitely made big progress as an artist with this album. Which is good since she can't be the cute lolita forever.

So all the people who don't like the new stuff: Give it another listen!:cool:

[lefty12357]

For the most part, I agree with you. I wrote a review shortly after the album came out saying much the same thing. My only criticism is that the album lacks a "huge hit" song. Of course you can't just "plan" on writing a song like that. They just come to you, or they don't.

The songs are all good, well written, arranged, performed and recorded. It is overall a very fine collection of songs. This album is something for which Alizée (and Jérémy too) can be very proud. I think most of the criticism of Psychédélices has been unfair and I think it should be doing much better in sales than it is. But it's hard to fight against peoples' personal tastes and expectations.

[woohoo]

I agree with lefty. The album is very good but it did not have that huge hit they had hoped for. The Alizee team tried to force 50-60 to become a huge it but it did not happen.

[Just a Guest]

I'm still sad, very sad, that 50/60 wasn't released as a first single with the promotional capacity of M.J.
I.m.h.o. things would have turned out totally different.

Still remember that little snipped of 50/60 when it was leaked.
I was so shure of a hit... :(
I still love that song to death. :wub:

[Ben]

I always liked MJ more than 50/60 and still do. :shrug: Dunno, maybe you're right.

Anyway, I agree with dreamer and lefty again. It's a great album with lots of interesting details, just missing that one knock-out single.

[Ruroshen]

I always liked MJ more than 50/60 and still do. :shrug:
Heh. I prefer FS to MJ, but I've always felt that both paled in comparison to Lilly Town...so there's no accounting for taste, I suppose. How anybody winds up with a hit record when music is such a subjective thing, I have no idea...but this is probably why I work in retail, and not the music business. :D

[Deepwaters]

I'm with everyone else on this, I like Psychédélices a lot, except for two songs (the title cut and L'effet), and even those are growing on me and I can recognize them for very good examples of styles of music I don't like much. :p

(I'm not sure why Her Grace likes L'effet so much other than the subject matter. Motherhood . . .«C'est MA FILLE, elle est PARFAIT !») :cool:

Anyway, I think a lot of her old fans were expecting a return of the old Alizée, and didn't get it. I wasn't, so I wasn't disappointed. I gained a lot of respect for her ability to pull top talent together and make it all work. Also for Jérémy as a composer, although of course it's not all his work.

[TheBarrett]

Heh. I prefer FS to MJ, but I've always felt that both paled in comparison to Lilly Town...so there's no accounting for taste, I suppose. How anybody winds up with a hit record when music is such a subjective thing, I have no idea...but this is probably why I work in retail, and not the music business. :D

Music Business?
Ways to make it big in Music in the 21st century:

1.) Be a rapper and spin a stolen beat over and over again while saying "Ho!"
2.) Join Coldplay
3.) Illegal methods of infiltrating and terminating careers of every other musician.

As I stated time and time again.
Welcome to the 21st century! (disclaimer warning)

[edgar93]

Yeah, Psychédélices is avery good album, once you realize that its a new style and the first album without MF/LB help ;). And I like this new style, I get excited when I hear decollage,:D its something new that we have never heard.

[dreamer]

Heh. I prefer FS to MJ, but I've always felt that both paled in comparison to Lilly Town

Yes, I feel the same way! Lilly Town is the catchiest song of the album IMHO. It has a very nice xylophone (at least that's what I think it is) playing in the background that could have been a little more accentuated because it is this interplay with the main melody that brings out the magic in the refrain. Like I said, details matter a lot.:)

[Ruroshen]

Yes, I feel the same way! Lilly Town is the catchiest song of the album IMHO. It has a very nice xylophone (at least that's what I think it is) playing in the background that could have been a little more accentuated because it is this interplay with the main melody that brings out the magic in the refrain. Like I said, details matter a lot.:)

The lyrics are brilliant, too--trippy and fun, referencing everything from Paris Hilton and Ghandi to Motown and 'A Streetcar Named Desire'. I've always thought it would make for a great 'breakout' song for her here in North America, in that there's just enough of the familiar in it to hook an audience who might not understand the context (or the language). It could also make for a spectacular video in the hands of the right director.

OK, I'll shut up now. :p

[MonteCristo]

She should go back to soloing without a band.....the band somehow drags her down to normal musical artists level. Back in MCE and Gourmandises, the spotlight was really focused on her alone. But now it seems the light has expanded to include the team that put the song together and the band. And not only that. Her songs are missing that blaze and sparkle i hear in her other songs.....till this day i still cant figure out what that sparkle is....an instrument? something about her voice? Or is the secret all in the lyrics itself? I really cant tell, but what i can tell is that Psychédélices is missing it. Well, except one, i noticed that Fifty Sixty has the kind of music i can expect in an album like Gourmandises

[Ben]

I'm not really sure what "band" you mean, MonteCristo, because every song on Psychédélices has different musicians, and they're not all the same as her touring entourage. Certain names crop up a lot, but that was the same back in the old days, and then Mylene and Laurent shared much of the "team" spotlight too.

[heyamigo]

LT is ok but i always felt it sounded a bit immature, like a kid's song and therefore hard to take her seriously if she released it as a single. i agree with most about nothing standing out, my favorite song on the album is probably lonly liste but it wouldn't work as a single anyways. i always thought 50-60 was the song on the album for mass appeal and consumption but they missed the boat with that one when they decided to go with MJ. MJ was though the song that stands out the most in the album in my opinion.

[TheBarrett]

PLP could've really pulled em in.
Just saying.

[lefty12357]

FS didn’t get the promotion it deserved, which really hurt. I think it was a great choice for a single. I also think Lilly Town has good single potential for the reasons Ruroshen gave. And I also agree wholeheartedly with Barrett that PLP is a song with great single potential and one of my favorites. MJ, FS, PLP and LT I think have the most mass appeal. Personally, I also really like Idéaliser for the melody and Alizée’s singing, and Psychédélices for the lyrics.

The one thing I miss on the album is that Alizée didn’t sing as much in her lower register. Her voice is so warm and sexy when she sings in that range.

[Tiwaz]

It's a good album indeed, but it's to happy or major, fast and modern (actually Im not sure what im talking about when it come to musical terms I just say what I think :blink:), it lacks the minor tunes that almost every hit songs kind of have that affects you emotionally (take any great song in history and it's probably played in minor or has that gloomy feeling in it). Also the singing is pretty flat, on the old albums it felt like she was singing and whispering softly to me (I can listen on Hey Amigo forever and her sweet voice takes me to heaven every time). Like L'effet could have been great, but it just don't get me.

[Fralizee]

Ok, so I was listening to Psychédélices once again and I don't know why I didn't see/hear this sooner but: This album is so very good.:):):)

Some songs have really nice orchestration and subtle little details (and it is details that can make the difference between a good and a great song IMHO) that really make it special. Most of songs are not as "easy on the ears" as those on Gourmandises and Mes Courants Électriques but most of it is also more interesting. Alizée has definitely made big progress as an artist with this album. Which is good since she can't be the cute lolita forever.

So all the people who don't like the new stuff: Give it another listen!:cool:
Her old fan base was used to easy listening music together with her beautiful voice and we listened to her songs endlessly, because we got addicted to them. It was too hard to switch to a new style of music that Psychedelices brought with it.
It seems to me there are two kinds of fans now, the old ones that were hypnotized by the original Alizee and the new fans that got to know her from her new Album. It is hard to criticize taste; I'll just stick to my old love for Alizee.

[heyamigo]

The one thing I miss on the album is that Alizée didn’t sing as much in her lower register. Her voice is so warm and sexy when she sings in that range.

that's very true. the thing is i don't think she can sing at that range anymore. i think she could when she was young but after a while she never sang that low live so i don't think it can be done anymore.

[mavsluver41]

It was too hard to switch to a new style of music that Psychedelices brought with it. It seems to me there are two kinds of fans now, the old ones that were hypnotized by the original Alizee and the new fans that got to know her from her new Album.

I, myself, am a contradiction. I discovered her following the release of Psychédélices, but listened to the songs from all three of her albums in no particular order (on youtube at first). I was mesmerized by the "original" Alizée (as you put it), but also by the "new" Alizée and how deeply she had matured in music and personality. Her beauty attracted me primarily, but it was her evolution that kept me rapt: it showed that she was willing to take risks, pursue different directions, and grow as an artist. I've used the same metaphor a million times, but here it is again: I see her career as a novel with several chapters rather than a series of separate books.

[edgar93]

I, myself, am a contradiction. I discovered her following the release of Psychédélices, but listened to the songs from all three of her albums in no particular order (on youtube at first). I was mesmerized by the "original" Alizée (as you put it), but also by the "new" Alizée and how deeply she had matured in music and personality..

Second that. I discovered her after the release of Psychedelices, but when I went deeper, I fell in love with the early Alizee:wub:. Actually, when I first watched the live version of JEAM, I thought she looked like that. But when I realized it was 5 years ago :eek:...

[Rev]

that's very true. the thing is i don't think she can sing at that range anymore. i think she could when she was young but after a while she never sang that low live so i don't think it can be done anymore.

I think she can, or could if she chooses to. If you are saying that her voice has permanently lost that range then I have to disagree. If she is out of practice, a series of sessions with a singing coach will bring it right back. She is much too young to "lose" that portion of her range.

[TheBarrett]

Or maybe she likes singing the upbeat, higher clef, style?
I don't care really, I just wish her voice was more in-my-face than the background style of Psych.

As much of an instrument freak as I am, I don't think instruments are what should drive her music, just to hear every little tidbit of her voice, when she takes that breath perhaps before singing a long winding part, or the roll of the r's and the whisper of the s. That is what really attracts me.

[Quantum]

I think she can, or could if she chooses to. If you are saying that her voice has permanently lost that range then I have to disagree. If she is out of practice, a series of sessions with a singing coach will bring it right back. She is much too young to "lose" that portion of her range.

Her voice isn't her problem, I agree, at least in terms of her future career prospects. Her problem is both more nuanced and more broad.

[edgar93]

Why does people always is criticize her voice:mad: (Im not talking about you guys, Im talking about the ones that are not fans). I often hear in tv programs people sayin´ she hasnt a good voice, but thats not true :mad:!
And always the say that no one cares, with her sexy dances its enough :mad:.

[TheBarrett]

Why does people always is criticize her voice:mad: (Im not talking about you guys, Im talking about the ones that are not fans). I often hear in tv programs people sayin´ she hasnt a good voice, but thats not true :mad:!
And always the say that no one cares, with her sexy dances its enough :mad:.

You should know what century you're in. :p
It's called the 21st century, and so far it's becoming one of the worst. :p
And here, most people in the 21st century, are total lustheads who could care less about voice, talent, etc.
Got a great body or a sexy face = success

They criticize my metal because it's too harsh, now they're criticizing her poppish voice, what's next? Mocking Frank Sinatra because his voice was too gelly? I hate this century...:rolleyes:

[edgar93]

Yes but, come on her voice isnt bad, and I have heard it many times .

Maybe they are jealous or just because they arent fans, they dont realize her beautiful voice..

[Rev]

Why does people always is criticize her voice:mad: (Im not talking about you guys, Im talking about the ones that are not fans). I often hear in tv programs people sayin´ she hasnt a good voice, but thats not true :mad:!

It's true that she does not have a powerful voice (like Celine Dion for example). Therefore, for some, looking from the outside, her voice is not "good." However, it is the texture, nuance, and expression in her voice that gets me, and many many others. We are here for the total package. :)

You should know what century you're in. :p
It's called the 21st century, and so far it's becoming one of the worst. :p
And here, most people in the 21st century, are total lustheads who could care less about voice, talent, etc. Got a great body or a sexy face = success

Sex and attraction does sell. It always has. The human race wouldn't exist without it. For some a "genie in a bottle" is enough (although she does have a good voice too). However, for many, when it comes to performers it's just one component of the total package.

By the way, the next several years are going to be VERY bumpy, but eventually it will start to get much better. This will turn out to be a very fun Century (very intense, but a lot of fun). :)

[edgar93]

It's true that she does not have a powerful voice (like Celine Dion for example). Therefore, for some, looking from the outside, her voice is not "good." However, it is the texture, nuance, and expression in her voice that gets me, and many many others. We are here for the total package. :)



Yes she does :rolleyes:. But its obviously that if you arent a fan you will look first everything, but not her voice.

Remember, tomorrow 3 PM central time, the repetition of the Lunas del auditorio awards, tv Azteca, canal 13. Have a good day/night, see you tomorrow ;).

[Tchaikovsky]

The one thing I miss on the album is that Alizée didn’t sing as much in her lower register. Her voice is so warm and sexy when she sings in that range.
That's it!

[pepelepew]

I totally agree that that lower register of her voice is what sets her apart from other very good voices. I have said it before and I will say it again. I could be wrong ,but in Psychedelics her voice is heavily synthesized to the higher tones. Probably to give her voice an etheric sound related to techno music. Psychedelics is a good album but I too miss the full range of Alizee's voice. I agree Barrett that PLP would be a great single. My favorite on the whole album. It also now that it has been mentioned about the lower range of Alizee's voice; that PLP was the closest song that Alizee got close to that lower register of her voice. I could have worded that better, but I am thinking outloud as I write this if you know what I mean.:) veery interesting thread so far.

[lefty12357]

Singing live in a concert hall in a lower register is much harder to do. They might have arranged Alizée’s newer songs in a higher register to be easier to sing in concert situations. Or she may have just been looking for a different sound. I think Alizée doesn’t always realize what we love most about her.

I have to say that Alizée does not have a great voice if you judge it on technical skills only. But in the world of popular music, we often prefer someone who has a distinct and different voice, a voice with qualities that touch your heart. A highly trained voice doesn’t necessarily connect with us in that way. It’s not a singing contest, it’s what appeals to you that matters in pop music. Just look back at all the greatest hits in pop music. Most of them were sung by people who would not be considered great singers if judged strictly on technical merit.

Alizée’s singing is best in a controlled environment like a recording studio or a sound stage like the TV5 performance. She seems to do better on the softer, slower songs when singing live. She does have problems singing in bigger concert settings where hearing herself is harder. I think she really needs to work on that. But as Rev said, it’s the total package and she has a lot of appeal. Personally, I like the sound of her voice and it appeals to me.

One last thing, I buy other artist’s music and I am interested in knowing about their creative process, but that is where my interest ends. Alizée is the first artist that I have cared about beyond the music. I am interested in, and care about her as a person. That adds a whole other level of connection and appeal for me. I love her music, but I really care about her, too. If she ever leaves the music business, I will miss a lot more than just her music and the sound of her voice. I will miss Alizée, the person.

[pepelepew]

Singing live in a concert hall in a lower register is much harder to do. They might have arranged Alizée’s newer songs in a higher register to be easier to sing in concert situations. Or she may have just been looking for a different sound. I think Alizée doesn’t always realize what we love most about her.

I have to say that Alizée does not have a great voice if you judge it on technical skills only. But in the world of popular music, we often prefer someone who has a distinct and different voice, a voice with qualities that touch your heart. A highly trained voice doesn’t necessarily connect with us in that way. It’s not a singing contest, it’s what appeals to you that matters in pop music. Just look back at all the greatest hits in pop music. Most of them were sung by people who would not be considered great singers if judged strictly on technical merit.

Alizée’s singing is best in a controlled environment like a recording studio or a sound stage like the TV5 performance. She seems to do better on the softer, slower songs when singing live. She does have problems singing in bigger concert settings where hearing herself is harder. I think she really needs to work on that. But as Rev said, it’s the total package and she has a lot of appeal. Personally, I like the sound of her voice and it appeals to me.

One last thing, I buy other artist’s music and I am interested in knowing about their creative process, but that is where my interest ends. Alizée is the first artist that I have cared about beyond the music. I am interested in, and care about her as a person. That adds a whole other level of connection and appeal for me. I love her music, but I really care about her, too. If she ever leaves the music business, I will miss a lot more than just her music and the sound of her voice. I will miss Alizée, the person.Very well said and I can't agree with you more on all counts.

[Rev]

One last thing, I buy other artist’s music and I am interested in knowing about their creative process, but that is where my interest ends. Alizée is the first artist that I have cared about beyond the music. I am interested in, and care about her as a person. That adds a whole other level of connection and appeal for me. I love her music, but I really care about her, too. If she ever leaves the music business, I will miss a lot more than just her music and the sound of her voice. I will miss Alizée, the person.

Her personality has drawn me in as well. I want her to be happy, and am sad that she is going through a difficult time. I hope Mexico brought her a lot of joy. :)