Music of the Day: Holden
Wednesday, October 17th, 2007
I admit that it is rare these days to feel a leap of excitement whenever I hear new bands/musicians.
Even reviewing CDs depends upon my mood. If I hear a band that reminds me of my youth, of my favourite bands, it is likely that I would empathize a new artist. Avant-garde musicians appear once in a blue moon, those who are able to change the scene not only overnight.
So I was cautious, too much for my own good, as soon as I saw Holden’s “Chevrotine.”
My encounter with the French band was purely accidental. As accidental as my spontaneous trip to the Büchereien
in Vienna last week.
“Chevrotine” was part of the library’s new titles lying on the rack untouched for that moment. Half-curious, half-unconvinced, I wanted to know if the name could deliver the goods, which taken from a literary character that inspired many young people on their search for truth.
I know, I know. The band’s name doesn’t sound special. There are a lot of bands/musicians out there that carry the same name believing that it is an amulet that defies establishment yet aspiring to be the voice of a generation.
The question is: Can their songs redeem their lack of originality when it comes to baptising their band saving it from the absurd yet funny Happiness in Sexyland?
A part of of Holden’s third album “Chevrotine” is a reminiscent of everything that is good in English indie pop, composed mainly by Armelle Pioline and guitarist Mocke, a.k.a. Dominique Dépret.
The other half is dreamy, nostalgic, melancholic. It is also a cross-between the French chansons and groovy electronica highlighted with the pretty floating voice of Armelle Pioline. Drum ‘n’ bass pur! No jangling guitars. No shrill voices. Just chill-out music.
Thanks to her band mates Ludovic Leleu, Cristobal Carvajal-Rastello and Pierre-Jean Grappin, it is a new experience. Yet it is also close to home as I’ve heard it all before.
So why, oh, why I didn’t hear anything about the dreamy Parisians? Simply because this is the first album Holden ever released in Germany. And Austria, being the neighbour, more or less has gotten the same treatment. And sometimes, much later.
“L’Arrière Monde” was released in 1998 a year after the band was formed and a second album “Pedrolira” arrived in 2002. If “Chevrotine” would prove to be a success, Holden’s earlier albums might see the light of the day in Germany and Austria.
Produced by German-born and now Chile enthusiast deejay-music producer Uwe Schmidt, alias Señor Coconut and Atom Heart, the CD is consisted of 11 charming songs.
My favourites are “Ce que je suis” (What I Am) “Sur le pavé” (On the stoned pavement?) that (pardon the word again) reminds me of the Go-Betweens. Oh, yeah, the good ol’ 80s New Wave.
It is all in French? And so what?
It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand the lyrics. What matters is the way you feel the melody entering your ears and then encircling your brains. In the end, the important thing is how it warms your heart.
Holden, Armelle Pioline, Uwe Schmidt, alias Señor Coconut, Atom Heart, Mocke
