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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Key to the Particular Universe of Mylène Farmer, August 30, 2001
"Cendres de Lune" was released in 1986 and is the first album of Mylène. It is essential to better understand the particular universe created by Mylène and her companion Laurent Boutonnat. For the first time one can encounter the topics of preference of Mylène and Laurent: death, sex, black romanticism, confusion, suicide and (anti)religion. The music itself is for the most part rather merry and when once asked about this, Mylène replied: "Because they [the songs] are cynical; cynicism saves everything!"."Vieux Bouc" (Old Goat) is one of the most interesting songs on the album. The lyrics (which I have translated from French to English - like everywhere else in my review) takes the form of a dialogue with a woman and the devil, "Vieux Bouc" ("Oh, Old Goat, are you tender? Do you like my morning bells? This hymen will be my gift, now hell is in my blood") and has references to Sartre and "The Master and Margarita" by Bulgakov. The album also contains Mylène's breakthrough song, the musicially not-so-impressive light dance pop song "Libertine" with its fin-du-siècle references and poetic lyrics between innocence and perversion; "Au Bout de la Nuit" dealing with love and suicide; the excellent and sad "Tristana" ("With a blow of her heart she embraces a passing shadow, nothing will erace the cowardly traces of the dripping blood from the dismembered bodies") ; "Chloé", a morbid little ditty binding childhood with death. Its music is reminiscent of Danny Elfman with Mylène singing naively along like a child - creating a very interesting contrast (the song is - according to Mylène herself - about a child telling its story of how it killed its sister or friend); "Maman a Tort", which was the first single of Mylène, with its counting rhyme ("1. Mum is wrong, 2. Love is beautiful, 3. The nurse cries, 4. I love her"); "We'll Never Die", musically a bit gothic sounding with dark lyrics ("Your blood will wash our faces, the vultures will kiss you"); "Greta", a tribute to Greta Garbo; "Plus Grandir" dealing with ageing and rape. The album finishes with the instrumental "Cendres de Lune", musically in horror movie style with Mylène merrily humming on top. Impossible also to forget mentioning her video clips that accompany this period. The clips are rather like small movies in cinematic style. Directed by extremely talented Laurent Boutonnat, those small masterpieces have been integral in forging the MF universe. "Plus Grandir" (capturing the phantasms of Mylène's childhood) features Mylène dismembering and drowning her doll, being raped by a diabolic man, chased by dwarf nuns and turning old. Libertine and its 11 min masterpiece video clip, Barry Lindon style, cinematic; Tristana with yet another highly impressive and romantic video clip, also cinematic, drawing from Snow White, Tarkovsky etc.; with elements such as love, death, snow, blood, wolves. Even though some of the songs may sound a bit dated, I highly recommend this very rich and unusual album - even (or perhaps rather more so) if you are a sophisticated listener and shun the mainstream (like myself!). Mylène Farmer is a completely unique artist; listening to one of her albums is like reading a book and she constantly makes you discover new things.
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~ Mylene Farmer
~ Mylene Farmer
~ Mylene Farmer
~ Jacques Brel
~ Mylene Farmer
by Mylène Farmer 
