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Album review
Les Têtes Raides
Fragile
Paris
09/12/2005 -
RFI Musique hooked up with former French musette rockers Les Têtes Raides after their set at the "Festival du Vent" in Calvi, in October. The group had waived their fee for their appearance, performing for free like all the other acts at the alternative Corsican festival (which supports various ecological and human rights causes). The "Festival du Vent" is not just about music, but also involves discussions and consciousness-raising debates – an angle that could not help but appeal to the 'committed citizen' mindset of the eight band members (who instigated the "Avis de K.O. social" movement in France at the end of 2003). Scrambling backstage after the set, we found Christian and Grégoire lying on the floor in a state of relaxed concentration. The group's latest album, Fragile (illustrated like all the previous albums by graphic design collective Les Chats Pelés) was propped unobtrusively on a coffeetable by their side.
Fragile is the band's ninth studio album to date, but even music veterans like Les Têtes Raides admit to having experienced a certain apprehension in the days leading up to its release. "The release of a new album is always exciting," says Grégoire, "It's as if, at one and the same time, you're letting go of something and writing a new chapter in your story..." Lead singer Christian explains the group's current frame of mind, pointing out that "for six months practically all we did was live, breathe and eat music. Getting the album finished took over our lives and became an absolute necessity. Now we've reached the opposite pole where all we're interested in is getting out on the road, playing concerts and hooking up with our fans again."
Even the most committed fans may be disoriented by the new offering from Les Têtes Raides, however. Fragile does not contain a single note on the accordion (an instrument long associated with the Têtes Raides sound). It ventures instead into pure rock territory with the group picking up their long-forgotten guitars again. "Right from the word go, when we were just starting to write material for the album, we had this urge to get the guitars out and try and find a different energy," says Christian, with a broad grin. "There comes a point when you scribble down the lyrics to a song and come up with a melody and you find yourself automatically picking up a guitar because physically you have this urge to sing it differently. It just so happens that Denis Barthe (drummer from French rock band Noir Désir) ended up co-producing the album. He was working on songs for (Belgian rocker) Arno at the time and we spent a couple of days at his place in Bordeaux. We'd never even considered working with him before, but when we came out of the recording session in the studio we suddenly realised it would be a brilliant idea!"
Despite the evident rock input on the album, it would be too dismissive to lump Fragile in the rock category and leave it at that. Les Têtes Raides have opened the door to multiple influences on their new album, drawing on everything from 'chanson réaliste' to punk. Christian concedes that "Each track shifts listeners into a different universe. You go from a track like Latuvu that wouldn't sound out of place in a nightclub to a bit of Boris Vian or a burst of rock'n'roll. The album's a bit of a musical rollercoaster really. Each track's got its own originality which requires a different approach when we play it." Fragile nevertheless forms a cohesive whole, thanks to Jean Lamoot's mixing skills, Christian's charismatic vocals and the vibrant brass section. The album is also punctuated by three short interludes entitled Je préfère (I prefer), Je préfère comprendre (I prefer to understand) and Je comprends (I understand).
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"You've got the string quartet on one side and the two guitars from The Ex on the other," says Christian, "I like the balance between these two different universes and two completely different sounds. You've got the fine-lace intricacy of the string instruments and then the Ex thrashing about improvising on guitar, throwing everything down in one rough take. It's like a musical counterpoint where you've got very precise composition on one hand and an improvised performance on the other. It's a real novelty for us and I have to say we're really happy with how things turned out. We got De Kracht done in one single take, too, doing it live in the studio."
Fragile is, in short, an audacious undertaking, an album that dares to shoot off in all kinds of different directions - as if, lurking in the depths of the group's collective subconscious, there was an unspoken desire to break out of pigeon-holing images and mix up labels. "We were pretty free throughout the entire album," says Grégoire, "We just sat back and let things take their course. I think there's a more electric, more rock, side to things, but at the same time there's room to breathe. You move from one track to the other without stress. It's funny, but some people's reaction to certain songs has been 'Yeah, but that's not Les Têtes Raides!'" Christian grins, visibly pleased by the comment, "It's a brilliant compliment! I'm happy when people say that. OK, it may be a bit strange for the person that says it... but you have to realise music is vast. It can take you anywhere. There are no hard and fast rules!"
And just to prove their point, Les Têtes Raides are now intent on pushing back musical boundaries even further, inviting DJs to come up with a remix of Latuvu. As they eagerly await the result, the band hit the road to tour Fragile, hooking up with hordes of their loyal fans - and, who knows, maybe even making a few new ones along the way?
Marjorie Risacher
31/01/2011 -
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