Customer Reviews

La Biographie De Luka Philipse

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's a crying shame that the rest of the world tends to ignore French-language music, as there's a great deal of superb releases just demanding to be heard. Case in point is Keren Ann Zeidel's debut album 'La biographie de Luka Philipsen'. Here we find 13 gorgeous songs of wistful thoughts mainly over crystalline acoustic guitars and skittering electronica, topped off with the warm vocals of mademoiselle Zeidel. Opener 'Dimanche en Hiver' sets the tone, sparse guitar and mellotron adorning the vocal before strings guide the song into a lush autumnal chorus. And it has to be said the record barely lets up from there. 'Seule' seems harmless until a huge rock chorus kicks in; 'On Est Loin' is clear and caressing, a wonderful lullaby. The big draw for many, however, will be the single 'Sur Le Fil', a huge cinematic effort which brings all these elements together along with a hook which will follow you round all day after hearing it. That is, if you're not humming along to 'Peut-Etre', the utterly charming guitar and piano lovesong which follows it! Keren Ann's partner in crime, Benjamin Biolay (France's best contemporary songwriter? It's hard to argue) pops up for a duet on 'Decrocher Les Etoiles', and the album also contains Keren Ann's own version of 'Jardin d'Hiver', a big comeback hit she wrote for jazz crooner Henri Salvador. She deserves to be at least as big as Francoise Hardy - it's unlikely, which is a shame. And don't get me started on her jazzier second album 'La Disparition', which might even surpass this one! If you can find her CDs, buy them!

I heard "Seule" at some late night radio show and it stayed in my head for a week or so, until I made the move and got myself the CD.
It was a splendid surprise, I never heard French music before (I don't count Air as French as they sing in English and their music is more universal). And it got me big time.
It's the kind of music that keep you warm, like hot coffee in the winter, you fall addicted to the calm soft voice of Keren along with the floating easy tunes and the unique sound.
It definitely becomes one of the best CDs I bought this year.

i've been wanted to buy this CD for quite a while and have
finally managed to get it just this week. it is a beautiful
piece of work, keren ann herself is pretty and so is her music.
acutally at first i didn't really like the CD very much, but
if you keep listening to it, it only gets better and better.
a 5 stars french album, would recommend it to anyone who has
a mellow side.

while shopping in BHV, i heard this truly beautiful music. being an American living in Paris i was actually not searching for a French artist, but for a more well-know American artist. immediatelty after hearing 'la biographie de Lucka Philipsen', i quickly put back the other cd and exchanged my francs for this one... i haven't regretted my decision in the least bit. this album is a great mixture of styles and i would definately recommend it to anyone... even if you can't understand French!

After the French electronic revolution you could expect French pop would soon follow. And it does. There is a new string of great talent coming from Paris, one of the brightest is Keren Ann. Born in Israel to a Dutch mother and an Israeli father Keren Ann follows the footsteps of Francoise Hardy with a new trip hop sensibility that makes her sound like Paris in the autumn. If you understand the lyrics you get an extra treat. Dimanche en hiver is one of the best winter songs ever. P.s. please notice Keren Ann wrote the songs on the Henri Salvador comeback record.

Although crappy teen pop is taking over France (Alize, the Corrs), Keren Ann offers a brilliant reprieve from such mindless drivel. Her debut album brilliantly blends folk with trip-hop (think Beth Orton in French) for a cool, laid-back sound. It's easily the best album I've heard this year; there's not a bad track to be found. Great stuff.

I had no clue who this girl was; suddenly I kept seeing her name everywhere. I heard "Sur le fil" on the radio in Berlin once, and made a mental note to buy the album immediately. The songs grow on you, all of them, some faster than others. Needless to say, Jardin d'Hiver is my favorite...

Why this amazingly gifted young woman isn't a major star already is beyond me -- she sings like a fragile, wise-beyond-her-years, yet somehow hopeful angel, and her songs are instantly catchy & memorable, even if you don't speak a word of French. And as wonderful as this debut is, her subsequent releases only get better. But this is the place to start if you want something far more enticing & artistic than the generic, mass-produced "pop" that currently swamps the airwaves. Yes, genuine songcraft & performance still exist, and you'll find them both in heartbreaking abundance from Keren Ann. Most highly recommended!

This artist is amazing! This is good music to listen to on a nice long drive.

Keren Ann doesn't have a huge overpowering, and overbearing voice like pop fake sensation Christina Aguilera nor three time re-breasted Mariah Carey. Keren Ann sounds like NOTHING ever recorded before. She doesn't mix sloppy new age alterna chordal structures together like Kate Bush nor Tori Amos - both sloppy musicians who have no foundation for music. Keren Ann has not only a powerful emotional outlet, but also has talent in her ability to record a wonderfully magnicifient and beautiful song. "Dimanche en Hiver" has a superb chorus, that gives two scales in voices, not the usual sultry one that many groups are repetive in. Keren Ann mixes both a traditional French sound alongside new power sounds that this veteran musician has never heard of before. But it's not a stink sloppy sound like a Kate Bush chorus ... Keren Ann cleans up the music and makes it standard, resmebling a corrected music background and a strong understanding of song structures. Recommended tracks include: "Les Mercenaire," "Dimanche en Hiver," "Aeroplane," "Decrochere Toiles," and "sur le Fill."