album of the week - 5.2

Mademoiselle K

Jamais La Paix

EMI France (2008)

Why you'll love it:  Energetic indie rock

Why you'll hate it:  French, vague rock star vibe.

If there ever was an argument to be made in favor of the blissfully ignorant music fan, Mademoiselle K would be my exhibit A.  While not anywhere near the best releases of 2008, Jamais La Paix has great indie rock hooks and no real weak spots.  I can't help but wonder if this is all because the lyrics are in French.  

I'm no stranger to foreign music, but something gives me the impression that if I understood French, I'd be disappointed in this band.  I've lost count of the times as a teenager, loving so many ska-punk bands, until I finally sat down and actually listened to the god awful stupid lyrics.  I just get this feeling, mostly from the music video for "Grave", that Mad K could be a bit of a oversexualized diva spouting BS.

This is where all those years of taking high school Latin (what the hell was I thinking?) instead of French pay off.  Through a strong "ignorance filter", only the melodies resonate.  Vocals are nothing more than another layer.  Over some catchy guitar riffs, K delivers the vocals to the album's title track as if driving a spike.   She could be singing "Ice cream is tasty!" for all I know (actually, that would be pretty awesome), but the inflection leaves an impression.  On other songs like "AVO" and "Enjoiver", she rants off tempo, and once again, the lack of understanding enhances that feeling of confusion I love to get from music.

It's only in moments that the band really shines.  Each song has at least one little moment where everything comes together brilliantly, be that a fleeting one.  As a whole album, this isn't a very satisfying release, but something nice to have when you are playing your music library on shuffle; if only to shake things up a bit.