'La République des Meteors' is a typical Indochine album, which is to say that it is as unique as the ten preceding it. Thirty years strong now, Indochine has not forgotten how to create and still remain true to itself.
Musically, the styles range from post-punk ('Les Aubes Sont Mortes') to rock ('L World'); 'Play Boy' is an unapologetic throwback to the group's new wave era and 'We are the Young' is almost grungy. Perhaps because Indochine has undergone so many changes in its members (and Nicola Sirkis has the good sense and humility to work with the new blood), these guys never go stale. This is an album full of new ideas. They took their time here - after listening to the cd, the *not* gapless playback on my mp3 player was a rude surprise.
Lyrically, the concept behind the album is WWI and the associated themes of loss, death and hope. 'La Lettre de Métal', inspired by a letter written by a soldier to his infant son, might be the defining track of the album (and is absolutely gorgeous). 'Bye Bye Valentine' speaks to Sirkis' growing daughter; 'Je T'Aime Tant' deals with the disintegration (and affirmation) of a long-term love. Often, the lyrics stand in juxtaposition with the music: 'Je T'Aime Tant' is more aggressive than regretful; 'Union War' is almost light-hearted.
Nothing on this album grabbed me on first hearing (as did 'Alice & June' and 'Les Portes du Soir' on the last), but after a few listens, I really fell in love with it. This is so much more interesting than the unimaginative monotone of American indie and pop, yet it is never interesting for the sake of being interesting - it's seamless. Nicola isn't out to impress anyone here - he's simply making good music.
