Search - Brigitte Fontaine :: Morceaux Choisis

Brigitte Fontaine IS nuts!

pootamadre | 09/01/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"At the end of his contribution to the liner notes to "Morceaux de Choix," Etienne Daho asks in capital letters, "BRIGITTE FONTAINE EST FOLLE?" Give this "best of" album a listen or just rely on rumor and the clear answer is "OUI."Which is not a bad thing at all. This album gives a good overview of the uneven career of one of France's best known provocateurs. Of course, if you don't know much French, you won't follow the hallucinogenic, tripped out wordplay that permeates some of the better songs (the full lyrics are in the booklet, which can help settle some of those "Did she really say that?" moments). Many songs are inspired by Middle Eastern/North African music, although Brigitte has tried out several styles and they are well-represented here.Getting into specifics, "Le Nougat" -- my favorite track -- is a tale of an elephant that appears in Brigitte's bathroom and demands some nougat, which unfolds into a hilarious story driven by a furious Middle Eastern orchestra (the orchestra makes a more brooding appearance on "La Femme a Barbe"). "Conne" is a weird exercise in self-hatred that will put a bewildered smile on the faces of any French speakers and cement any doubts as to Brigitte's sanity. The gently confessional "Brigitte" shows a tender, folky sensibility, and the duet "Cet Enfant Que Je T'Avais Fait" could be a great lost work by Leonard Cohen. "Il Pleut" is dreamy, lullabye-ish, and musically grounded in typical 1960s TV soundtrack trappings (orchestral punctuations, xylophone, occasional flutes, etc). "Chat," "Ah Que la Vie Est Belle," and "Dressing" are electrorchestral music, showing Brigitte's willingness to meld traditional and modern sound structures. As for the low points, the barely-sung "Comme a la Radio" drags on far too long and is punctuated with high-pitched horns that always remind me of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" (assuming I don't skip the song, which happens more often than not). "C'est Normal" sounds like a jam session/conversation between two friends, but unless you want to hear some New Age rambling, there is not much to latch onto, although the melody is nice enough. Some other songs are a little musically bland for my tastes."Morceaux de Choix" is worth picking up, as is the just released (August 22 in France) "Kekeland," which will surely be released in the US, since Sonic Youth plays on two songs and since it is generally excellent -- better, I'd say, than even this "best of.""

A great cd

wormspermgrrl | tallahasee,, FL USA | 09/04/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"very atmospheric. trancelike. reminiscent of the really good nico albums. believe it or not."