Blasphemy really.. but lets do it.

[wasabi622]

hm, well, since i did this for the songs i like, same for the songs i like less:

by albums:

Gourmandises: Mon Maquis

MCE: Tempete

Psych: Psychedelices

i actually love A Quoi Reve Une Jeune Fille. I find it to be a very.. um.. pretty song?

Originally Posted by Ben

As for least favorite song, I dunno... Maybe "J'ai pas vingt ans!" actually, but just because it's been over-played.

[Criss_pl]

Originally Posted by wasabi622

MCE: Tempete

Psych: Psychedelices

I like them both.
I love Psychedelices, those lyrics are great
And Tempete has something charming

And, by albums

Gourmandises: Mon maquis

MCE: Youpidoo (English version), but French is really good, and live en concert...

Psychedelices: Jamais Plus

[Deepwaters]

Originally Posted by Criss_pl

I love Psychedelices, those lyrics are great

I agree with this, but in order to appreciate that song you have to understand the lyrics, because that's where its power lies. Musically, it's a bit tame and sedate, not nearly as stirring as some of the other songs from that album. Originally, because my ear for spoken/sung French still is far from perfect and was much worse in 2007, I didn't much like Psychédélices and in fact told Her Grace that it wasn't really my cup of tea, but I've changed my mind about it since then.

Ben, I have the same feeling. Laurent's compositions are technically flawless but less imaginative than the work on Psych IMO.

I don't know why she sings in higher keys now. I can't imagine that her voice has changed. Maybe it's more comfortable for her and always was? She can certainly sing the higher notes with wonderful bell-like clarity; you can hear that on Idealiser, and also on Coeur déja pris. But it's true the deeper register is gone.

[TheBarrett]

I doubt the deeper register fits the sound of Psych, therefore it is not there.
The orchestral edge is vibrant, the deep voice was vibrant, therefore it was a match.

[lefty12357]

I also think Laurent’s music can be repetitive. Most of his songs for Alizée are built using a 4 chord progression that basically repeats throughout the song. For example, Moi, Lolita, Lui ou toi, and Amélie m’a dit are built on the same chord progression. Change keys, move the tempo and melody around a bit and voila, you have another song. But he is great at producing lush music like a big wall of sound and I still love Alizée’s first 2 albums.

The album Psychédélices is sparser in its instrumentation, but I think many of the songs are more imaginative. And I know it may be considered blasphemous by some, but I prefer Jean Fauque’s lyrics when it comes to writing for the Alizée of today. I am still a fan of Mylene Farmer’s, but I am quite happy with Jean’s work. One thing that is missing for me in much of today’s pop music is the lack of real musicianship, and Psych is no exception in that regard. I’m not saying they’re bad musicians. I’m just saying that nowhere did anyone play anything notable. And maybe that contributes to a sense of blandness and often a lack of energy. It’s like they just played what they needed to get by. Of course a lot of that is up to the person producing. If it had been me, I would have demanded more out of the musicians.

I wonder if Alizée thought it would be easier to sing live in a higher key, so they wrote and recorded the songs that way. It can be hard to sing in a lower register in a live situation. But I agree that her voice sounded better in the first 2 albums and I think it’s mostly because the lower register of those albums brought out the more pleasant elements of her voice. If I didn’t know Alizée and listened to an MCE song and a Psych song, I would have thought the Psych song was from when she was younger. Her MCE voice sounds more mature to me.

[user472884]

Originally Posted by Deepwaters

I don't know why she sings in higher keys now. I can't imagine that her voice has changed.

My guess is that she's trying to be as opposite of Myléne as possible.

I'm sure she had to sing in a lower register to both fit the music and dare I say... be more sensual to fit the Lolita image.

Or maybe she just wants to show off her vocal range

[Ben]

Originally Posted by lefty12357

I also think Laurent’s music can be repetitive. Most of his songs for Alizée are built using a 4 chord progression that basically repeats throughout the song. For example, Moi, Lolita, Lui ou toi, and Amélie m’a dit are built on the same chord progression. Change keys, move the tempo and melody around a bit and voila, you have another song. But he is great at producing lush music like a big wall of sound and I still love Alizée’s first 2 albums.

I wonder if Alizée thought it would be easier to sing live in a higher key, so they wrote and recorded the songs that way. It can be hard to sing in a lower register in a live situation. But I agree that her voice sounded better in the first 2 albums and I think it’s mostly because the lower register of those albums brought out the more pleasant elements of her voice. If I didn’t know Alizée and listened to an MCE song and a Psych song, I would have thought the Psych song was from when she was younger. Her MCE voice sounds more mature to me.

As usual, I think Lefty's spot on! About Laurent, you know I think I like him most as a producer, as opposed to a composer. A perfect example is "G. Stories" by Nathalie Cardone. He didn't write it, but the sound he orchestrated is just stunning. Like thunder bent to his will.

[Deepwaters]

Originally Posted by lefty12357

I wonder if Alizée thought it would be easier to sing live in a higher key, so they wrote and recorded the songs that way. It can be hard to sing in a lower register in a live situation.

Ha! I'll bet that's it. Listening to the Alizée en concert versions of a lot of the songs, you really notice the key change from the studio versions. It's especially noticeable on ML and Mon Maquis. By recording all of her music in a higher key, she avoids that discrepancy and makes sure the songs she sings in concert sound more like what she records on disc.

[kerasus]

L'Effet, Coeur Deja Pris, Decollage, Psychedelices

[Junkmale]

Got to be Decollage for me. Hate it....with a passion.