I had previously heard of Brigitte Fontaine, but was under the impression that she was just another French Chanson singer, like Dalida maybe, or Francoise Hardy. Then I read an article about this reissue which mentioned her as an avant-garde artist, someone in synch with the contemporary psychedelic scene. Apparently, her fans include Bjork as well as and members of Pulp, Stereolab, and Sonic Youth. Now these are some big endorsemenets, so I decided to check the album on Spotify, and was immediately hooked: the music is not as experimental as I expected (apparently, her subsequent work would be), sounding more lke a mix of chanson and acid folk. The orchestration (by Jean Claude Vannier, a Serge Gainsboug collaborator) is gorgeous but nuanced; not just beautiful, but also sometimes morose, others playful, even ironic. It reminded me of another favorite of mine from the same period, Tom Rapp's Pearls Before Swine - the similarities extending beyond the music also to the Hieronimus Bosch homage of the album cover - PBS used part of The Garden Of Earthly Delights triptych for their One Nation Underground LP cover, and a number of details from the same painting are incorporated here. At the time of this album's release, Fontaine was almost 30 years old, already accomplished as an actress and playwright; although it was the height of the yé-yé girls phenomenon, she refused to play along; there may be some similarities to Hardy at her more melancholic ("Il Pleut", "Une Fois Mais Pas Deux"), but more often she reminds me of Jacques Brel, especially on the more theatrical/cabaret-like numbers (e.g."Comme Rimbaud", "Je Suis Inadaptée"). Despite the relatively jaunty music, the lyrics are ironic and confrontational e.g. the former goes "I'm dirty, like Rimbaud/ Syphilitic, like Beaudelaire/ But maybe you don't like poetry, after all". She continues by trashing the luminaries of other art forms, and ends up with "I'm not a man, like Joan of Arc/But maybe you don't like women, after all". The latter song, meanwhile, confesses "But I can't help it/ I have to see the bad in everything/ I'm out of it, maladjusted." So yes, these are not your typical 60s yé-yé themes. It's way more interesting, provocative, and poetic. Thankfully, the bilingual insert contains the lyrics, both original and in the English translation. "Le Beau Cancer" and "L' Homme Objet" offer more sprightly Gallic jazz - if you liked the Amélie soundtrack, they will be right up your alley. "Il Se Passe Des Choses" and, especially, the melancholic "Dommage Que Tu Sois Mort" remind me of Nico circa Chelsea Girls - a likewise avant-garde female artist whose solo debut was also a compromise between their own experimental tendencies and a producer's idea of a romatic chanteuse. Not that that's a bad thing, mind you; in both cases the tasteful arrangements are among the best features of the respective LPs. "Il Se Passe Des Choses" is even darker, with a dramatic Marlen Detrich-esque vocal, and "Blanche Neige" is an experimental ballad, full of playful sonic touches and exotic sound effects. Somehow I was reminded of Siouxsie's side project, The Creatures. Which brings us to another experimental piece, "Eternelle". Probably my favorite track here, it's a rhythmic piece with quirky backing vocals. The album closes with "Cet Enfant Que Je T’Avais Fait" a duet with Jacques Higelin, a fine piece of orchestral pop; the similarites with Vannier's famous arrangments for Histoire de Melody Nelson are obvious. One of the perks of this latest reissue (apart from the crisp remastered sound, gatefold cover and glossy insert) is that it allows you to experience Vannier's orchestral work on its own, as the bonus LP contains instrumental versions of 7 of the tracks. We also get 8 demos, giving the songs a starker feel; they sound folkier, but definitively still weird. Lastly, we get a live version of "Il Pleut" from 1969. It's radically different; at 6 minutes it's more than twice as long as the studio version, bluesier and more improvisational, with a passionate vocal performance including a lot of wordless vocalizing. Her next album, which many consider to be her best, was a more experimental collaboration with the Art Ensemble of Chicago. She'd go on to produce other uncompromising records that sailed among pop, folk, electro and world music, which I aim to slowly get into. Brigitte Fontaine Est...Folle is, in any case, a great introduction; a highly idiosynchratic mesmerizing fusion of French chanson, orchestral pop and Velvet Underground-like 60s avante -garde. Best new album I've heard in months.
***** for Il Pleut, Le Bleu Cancer, Il Se Passe Des Choses, Une Fois Mais Pas Deux, Eternelle
**** for L' Homme Objet, Blanche Neige, Comme Rimbaud, Dommage Que Tu Sois Mort, Je Suis Inadaptée, Cet Enfant Que Je T'avais Fait
**** for all of Disc 2 (demos, orchestral, and live versions)
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