Minute Papillon by enigmatic polymath Lucas Chantre is a fresh-faced, dawn-lit, hopeful thing that has a clear and refined sense of itself – a confidence in its retro-futurist influences that makes you sit up and take notice. It’s also an absolute delight – synths pulsing and spreading out in euphoric waves, supplemented further by occasional pulsing ripples, jazz-clarinet and electronic ornamentation that quietly draw you in.
It allows itself time and space to unfurl – it’s a song whose opening lines therefore make full sense. In rough translation: “ Awakening…A sweet morning filled with sunshine…” the shimmering notes capturing somehow that sense of a new day’s possibilities- and a need to seize the moment. To translate it though is reductive – this is music that needs to inhabit its own sense of place- and its French vocals are a key part of its identity.
Musically, this dances between contemporary French synth pop, vintage Yé-yé, modernist ambient jazz and meticulous art-pop- whilst vocally feels reminiscent of Aurélie Muller from her Soy Un Caballo days- a duo that always seemed deserving of more attention. I hope that World Brain finds sufficient further light in response to this auriferous song-smithery – they certainly deserve it. And those vocals really are entirely beautiful. Sung by his sister Noémie with absolute charm and grace, her voice decorates the artful complexities of the music with its own deft precision. The song has also taught me something of French colloquialisms too, its title translating approximately to ‘Slow down.. take It Easy!’ ( a close idiomatic cousin to English’s ‘hold your horses’); and this makes perfect sense here, as who wouldn’t want to pause and savour the artful delights this song has to offer.
The album Open Source will be out in November. This sprightly slice of jazz-inflected art pop is reason enough to feel very excited about its arrival. Go and seize the moment! Oh.. and check out the accompanying music video below…
Written by M. A Welsh (Misophone)
Music | Misophone (bandcamp.com)
