Mylene Farmer - Ainsi Soit Je (10 tracks) +Album Reviews

The most influential CD of its time

James M. Freedberg | Salem, MA United States | 04/27/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yes that's exactly what AINSI SOIT-JE was, when it first appeared, in 1988, though no one knew at the time. Farmer's second CD seemed then so dark, so universally sad, so frightening even at its most peaceful ("Jardin de Vienne") and so alienated from the present : I mean, who in 1988 was reciting Baudelaire ("L'horloge," whose music became the source of Enigma's works), or doing a female transvestist version of Peter Pan ("Sans contrefacon," which translates as "No counterfeit")? And who, 10 years before Alanis Morrisette, turned such a dark eye to love-making ("Pourvu qu'elles soient douces") as Mylene, with her female rebellion? The oddly disco-fied blues ("Allan," "Sans logique") and the ballads, too, made no sense, 4 - 6 years before "Goth" became a recognized idiom (largely because this CD helped spawn it). Today, when Farmer has become the world's most influential female pop star (sorry, Mr. Proud of America -- I'm not proud of you, by the way -- but it's true), this early CD sounds incomplete, a first step on a very profound road : yet even in its searching but not yet finding way, it offers plenty of flashes of the quizzical, darkish, sexually heated, pensive intelligence that singles Farmer out from the teen-mainstream, cliche pop that befuddles FM radio in the US. I still play this CD from time to time and still discover new insights in it, though most of my Farmer time is devoted to her newer works."

Superb, unless you only listen to mainstream hits - top 20..

Ma WenRui | Minneapolis, MN USA | 08/13/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of Mylene's best CDs, along with L'Autre and Anamorphosee. Mylene Farmer's music is a unique combination of space new age (Vangelis, Mike Oldfield) with a twist of Euro dance and very interesting and original other arrangements. The lyrics are critical to enjoying the songs. She also, on occasion mixes French with English to great effect. Mylene Farmer creates a musical poetry of her own and, for those who acquire the taste, she is a universe of fun and wonder. Her videos are even better. Not for everyone, but you'll know whether she is your type as soon as you are acquainted."

100% mylene

Tachi | Bay Area, CA | 10/05/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"this is another great album of mylene's. what i love about her is how she has so many different styles in all her albums so you are sure to see something different each time. although she does always mainatain that girly voice of hers, i think that is what makes her stand out. that she can sing about such things and still look all "innocent" with her little angel voice and face... i first heard "sans contrefacon" when i was very young, about 4 or 5 years old, and i immediately loved the song. as she sings about being somewhat of a tomboy, i immediately identified w/the song, i even felt it was written for me... anyways, no doubt "sans contrefacon" and "sans logique" are my favs on this album. another standout track is "jardin de vienne"... it's a really sad song, but it has this typical medieval french feel to it and is a different kind of song...
this is a great album and a must for true fans :)"

Dark-matters of pop

Ivan Antunovic | 02/25/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"That's the beauty of it - 'Ainsi Soit-je' is far from blowing anyone's brains, yet it successfully does exactly that - frightening, restless, chilling, nightmarish pop music that consumes one's solitude to shreds. Personally, I don't understand the lowest ratings of this album here but I'll stick to the fact people rating this album below 3 stars are either not that much into Mylene, expect too much from a decent 1988 album or simply spam it for Mylene CD's (not to mention second-hand items) are infamously way too expensive to buy on regular basis.

As for the contents, it's a bit confusing rather than consistent story to tell - however, it is a fine summary of Mylene's career earlier on. In terms of being 80's pop, Mylene's musical stylings always leaned towards alternative pop more than just satisfying mainstream's expectations on the verge of commercial appeal.

Intellectual ('L'horloge' or 'Pour'vu Quelles Soient Douces') just as it is clumsy ('Deshabillez-moi' and 'The Farmer's Conclusion' seem to break the seriousness of the material here), 'Ainsi' offers adorable hits - 'Sans Contrefaçon' was my first-ever encounter with her work and I wasn't feeling comfortable with it then - she always managed to bring obscurity and melancholy into her songs to great effect despite there is repetitive howling along the way. But once you start digging into it, it will pound on you like a hammer with enjoyable scars and bruises. Among the highlights from this collection is undoubtedly 'Sans Logique', a song of unspeakable beauty. Delivered in a strange italo-disco/flamenco fusion over Farmer's chanson-lament, behind it is a bizarre story of losing common sense. 'Jardin de Vienne' is as equally beautiful - soothing, almost military tune covered by mysterious veil of glory.

Among the album's less impressive moments is probably 'La Ronde Triste' - a song which repeats 'Allan's chords, while sounds quite cliched using that typical shakahachi sound, more like filling the void where neither music nor childish, death-obsessed lyrics stand for any particular conviction.

Still, it is a solid 5-star rating and shouldn't stop you from discovering one's amazing work yourself. This is a deserved part of French pop anthology - timeless if not entirely immortal, beautiful if not perfect."

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