Disco de Indochine: “Paradize”

This is a great album. It's like vintage Depeche Mode or New Order in all it's arch hip goofiness, only very slightly darker, not quite as pop (but very close! Not to worry!) in French & twenty years late..

Or is it late? It all started with those crazy French to begin with, no? Back in the sixties? Isn't New Wave nothing more than Rive Gauche artiness, androgyny, faux intellectuallism & caberet style (clothes! make up! hair!) all fused with that punk rock sensibility? Maybe it's not late, just perpetual?

It's great stuff, anyhow. Dig it, man. Dig it. Creuse-le, mon frere.

Heh heh.

Let me just reccomend you cue up the title track "Paradize," then "Mao Boy!" (Mao Boy! Love the title!) and "J'ai Demandé À La Lune" (FANTASTIC song - "Je n'ai pas grand chose à te dire, et pas grand chose pour te faire rire, car j'imagine toujours le pire et le meilleur me fait souffrir.." Such angst, quelle tristesse! Those poor tortured little Frenchboys..)

Then there is the gorgeously titled "Popstitute" (heh heh - no English speaking band would dare, probably, which is why I thank God we have the French & Germans..) a slightly bouncy incessant tune, garnished with electronic effects. I like the last song, Un Signe En Hiver, too, which opens with a minute of piano accompanied singing before the drum machine kicks in and drives us to a slight uptempo finish.

Those are the honorable mentions. If you enjoy retro 80's music and like French, then this is the band (and album) for you. Achete-le.

I always have an album to define my semester its so weird. Paradize was my Spring 2003 ablum. I absolutely love it, especially since I'm a French Literature major :o). Its awesome if you could understand the words. I find what he says to be amusing and very French! "les américains et les chinois abolissent la peine de mort, je vous prédis dans ce pays joie et bonheur."

My favourite is of course LE MANOIR. This song is simply AWESOME!!! I recommend this album even if you don't speak French. It's different and its always awesome to veer away from that horrible American pop on the radio.

This is a great album, Their songs are very good, I recommend to buy this album.

I first sampled Indochine's music last on holiday in Paris, in the form of Paradize. I don't speak French, but it was the sound that I found to be captivating. It reminded me of one of my favourite groups, Dandy Warhols. I spent about an hour at one of those music listening posts in a famous Paris music store -beginning with the letter F - on Avenue de Terrnes, and became addicted. Loved the album, but when I then sampled all of their other albums, I found that their style used to be very different, and I did not not really like these earlier albums. but Paradize is very, very different, and I play it in my car every day since coming home from my holiday. Another positive point for me is that many of the tracks are well over 5 minutes long, allowing the group to weave inventively around the main theme. It really grows more and more on you. So although I can't dig the lyrics, it's the sound that got to me, which anyway is usually what music is mainly about, isn't it?

I have known Indochine's music for a very long time now. I was particularly keen during their heydey in the 80's. Since then, they have been less successful, until this new album was released. I think it is a new beginning for the group. The style is very different from what it used to be, but this should come as no surprise: two of the four original members have left (including Dominique who used to compose most of the songs) and a third, Stephane, passed away a few years ago. Nicola Sirkis has surrounded himself with a new group of people to produce this album.

The first song I heard was j'ai demande a la lune and I fell in love with it. Being familiar with their old songs,I was a little surprised by their new sound and it took me a little while to get used to it, but now that I have, I love it...