Autour de Lucie - Faux mouvement (2000)

The French language has an elegant way of making the most complex things seems natural and carefree, not to mention the most general things appear chewable (did I say that?) and alluring. Autour de Lucie, the indie pop outfit from Paris, taps into such imagery while experimenting with three-dimensional soundscapes for an ethereal beauty on the their third release, Faux Mouvement. The overall composition delicately plays into heavy instrumentation, specifically on album opener "Je Reviens." Electronic samples and free-flowing string arrangements are lightly woven inside Jean-Pierre Ensuque's acoustics. Valérie Leulliot, the vocalic temptress, carries the songs to a setting of an untainted art. One cannot help but to lose themselves within the textured lyrics of Leuillot's intrinsic word play. "Chanson de L'arbre and "Lent" are similarly haunting, more or less seeping into a spirituality gracefully defined by Autour de Lucie's musical maturation throughout the entire record. The French are known for being in touch with their deeper soul; therefore, the vast spectrum between passion, fear, and thought are all woven into a web. "Vide" is a little more aggressive -- stripped guitar riffs and Portishead-like synths provide a harder edge. Faux Mouvement isn't a tangible record. It's something beyond the common threads of alternative rock and the corporate monotony of the late '90s. Autour de Lucie defines their own enchanting pop, but it's not entirely pop music either. In the same vein as Saint Etienne, Ivy, and Emiliana Torrini, Autour de Lucie casts a spell. Faux Mouvement illustrates such impact, and the basic progression between artistic inclusion and the band.