Archipol
Au Naturel
With his eternal teenager's looks and his Toile de Jouy outfit, ArchiPol stands out in the little world of the French chanson. His new album is called "Natural" and it's no mistake: it was entirely recorded on magnetic band, like in the old days, against the all-digital trend. A choice that required a long-term work and resulted into a specific shape to the sound - a soul. And if he may sometimes seem naive or over-tender, he acts so to better protect himself from the roughness of the world. It also allows him to tell the most complex aspects of human loves, without ever judging them, through different perspectives : the story of an intense and short-lived love affair in the quirky slam of L'amour vache, transgenerational love in La nostalgie de l'allergie, or Sous le gel, the story of an irrepressible desire for children, a tell of stolen human eggs from a maternity, which could inspire a Jean-Pierre Jeunet movie! ArchiPol approaches somber, sometimes even tragic topics, but on dancing music and with an almost British sense of humour. It's a fine writing style, which observes our inner wounds becoming abysses. Long story short, a French chanson cooked with a bittersweet twist.