Electronic

Mélodie-Fiction – Écran Totale

One of the hardest things that music can do, I think, is strike a balance between being universally likeable and artistically distinct. Like, just appealing to a broad cross-section of people is in itself difficult; but when you then add in making your music stand out in a unique way? Friends, that Venn diagram is perilously close to a pair of reading glasses.

Enter Écran Total.

Their sound is pleasantly electronic, with gentle drum beats and the singer’s high, breathy, singing voice, reminiscent of the late, great Julee Cruise. It’s also a little dopplery, a little spoken, a little commercial, and a little… Blade Runner?

The thing I like best about this album, after repeated listenings, is how all of the songs sound incredibly different, yet the whole thing feels specifically cohesive. It works as a collection of songs, even when all those songs each bring very different things to the listening experience.

Play: 2, 4, 6, 9, 10

FCC: It’s all in French. Good luck with that, FCC.

RIYL: Mylène Farmer, Christine and the Queens, Jenifer