Customer Reviews

Negatif

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First things first: Biolay is a genious. Period.

"Negatif" is one of those (very few) cd's that force you to sit down and just listen. Why so? It's certainly unusual to find another record with such a rich tapestry of sound (and such a wide range of influences, with Serge Gainsbourg at the top)without being pretentious. Every single string arrangement, electronic programming, I mean: every single note is where it is because that's where it belongs. This is lush pop-folk-orchestral-jazzy-country*ish* music. Call it whatever you like, what you can't miss - unless you're deaf - is the sense of perfection that lies in songs like "La Penombre du Pays-Bas", "Little Darling" and all the others. Remember David Sylvian's "Secrets of the Beehive"? It's the same kind of perfection I'm talking about - though not exactly the same kind of music.

I've been humming "Little Darling" since I bought the cd - and that was a few months ago. It's just the cherry on top of this masterpiece. Sounds exagerated? Just listen to it.

This is a double CD by the singer/songwriter Benjamin Biolay. First, I'd like to say that I do speak French, so that makes a big difference in not just understanding the songs, but participating in the kinds of references that are being made here. It would still work as a soundtrack-y, slightly eroticized backdrop for the mind.

This is a "style" record, in the sense that it is quite cinematic and its influences and aspirations are pretty transparent. It has that Gainsbourgness, with less intoxication, more distance, and a frenchness that is sweet, if stand off-ish. This record also has a tinge of the erotic and it is moody and elegant. He is married to Chiara Mastroianni, who is in some of the songs. The arrangements are quite simple; it is almost a story of a cinematic (French-style) love affair, mixed with the nostalgic.

If you are looking for French stuff (contemporary) please get the Bertrand Burgalat record, which is really great, and the music is richer, more complex.

Benjamin Biolay's "Negatif" is clearly the 'coolest' album I own. Out of the thousands in my collection, this is the one album where the artist effortlessly conjures up images of smoky French jazz lounges, and the film-noir of the 1960s (in particular - Alain Delon in "Le Samourai"). While Biolay remains an artist beyond compare in native France, he is still not very well known outside of it, which is a travesty, but for those of us who know his work it can still be 'our little secret'.

Several reasons why this album is groundbreaking: The instrumentation is flawless, and almost every song is an orchestral masterwork. Seriously. Whoever the musicians are, they should be winning awards in all directions. Second, the music is timeless. I can imagine playing this twenty years from now and still being captivated by the stupendous artistry contained within this jewel case. Third, this is a double disc 'concept album', and these sorts of ventures usually are my favorites.

While the entire album remains a gigantic achievement, the best thing here is most definitely "Little Darlin'". Benjamin has a penchant for tracking down obscure 1950s jazz and roots recordings and using Marilyn Monroe vocal samples in so many of his songs, and this is a perfect example of such an example that goes horribly RIGHT. What an epic this song is.

While the first disc is decidedly accomplished, the shorter second disc is actually where the real treats are stored. The track "Holland Spring" is actually on my Top 10 list of Greatest Songs of All Time. For those not in the know, Benjamins wife is Chiara Mastroianni (the daughter of French legend Catherine Deneuve) and she duets and provides background vocals on almost all the songs here. So, this is as much her album as it is his.

Never boring, and always musically one step ahead, this album is like that perfect bottle of wine - it simply gets better and better.

If you liked this, I would highly recommend his debut album "Rose Kennedy", as well as his folk album with his wife, "Home". Try also tracking down his "A L'Origine". His later works aren't as riveting as this album, but they are all pretty good.

One of the first true avant-garde artists to surface in a while. Most receiving this title might be aping the Velvet Underground, but Biolay is truly original, creating, something that may be indebted to Serge Gainsbourg, but sounds entirely fresh and original, and possibly better than Gainsbourg, and without the silliness. Some of this is pure brilliance. A+

I found the cd's 'interesting'. He features such a wide eclectic mix of songs: folky, jazzy, swank, electronica. So points for that. It is very unique.

I did find it difficult to get into because of the language barrier though. Also some of the songs are downright sleep-inducing-slow (maybe that's what he's going for).

I would've liked to see this cut down to one tight compact single disc because there are some good cuts on there. It's just not as tremendous as I was expecting it to be.

Pick this one up if you're into odd, different, eclectic music or French music in general. Just don't pay full Import price - it's available for cheaper on other sites.

First of all, his voice will leave you breathless, this cd is so diverse and exciting and he sings nonchalantly, which makes it all even better, and it doesn't hurt that he looks rather like Benicio Del Toro, but that's just my personal opinion. Also, check out the video for Chaise a Tokyo.

Benjamins sexy whispering evokes dark romantic French bars filled with the smoke from Gauloise and heady red wine.....very sexy and extremely French, wonderful!

Is it just me or what? Biolay is a good song writer and the lyrics are interesting and cute. THIS INCESSANT WHISPERING VOICE with the hissssing s's which manages nevertheless to overpower the good background instrumentation is enough to drive me crazy. Was everyone asleep in the sound booth? Doesn't Biolay listen to his own stuff? Can't he hear the obviously bad mixing? Rose Kennedy and A L'Origine were tolerable from this angle. I just want to warn off others that can only take so much "chuchottement". As for a comparison elsewhere with Gainsbourg, what a joke.