Mehdi Zannad - Fugue

  by Andy Cassidy

published: 1 / 8 / 2011

Label: Third Side
Format: CD

intro

Frequently impressive harmonic pop on over short debut album sung in his native language by French singer-songwriter, Mehdi Zannad

My parents were always against my studying French at school and, subsequently, university. “The French all speak English,” they told me. Young and defiant, I went ahead and studied French anyway (and met my wife in the French class). Over the years, there have been very few opportunities to use my linguistic knowledge; the occasional menu, an art-house film or two. Imagine my delight, therefore, when a Francophone album plopped through my letterbox! Finally, I was vindicated – I would use my qualifications after all! The album in question was 'Fugue' (which means “breakaway” in French) by Mehdi Zannad. I genuinely didn’t know what to expect from it (other than Yann Tiersen’s excellent soundtrack from 'Amelie', the only other encounter I’ve had with French popular music was Vanessa Paradis’ 1988 hit 'Joe Le Taxi'!), so it was with some trepidation that I popped it in the stereo and sat back to ecouter et relaxer. The opening track, 'Ecoute (Listen)', sets the agenda for the whole album; short and sweet. It is three minutes of pure 'Magical Mystery Tour'-era Beatles, with jangling guitars, a thumping backbeat and great vocal harmonies. By anyone’s standards, it’s a great start to any album. Throughout the album, I concede, I had difficulty with the language, but strangely for me a lack of understanding didn’t stand in the way of my enjoyment. Indeed, Zannad himself says, “I think language is a real issue in pop music,” and goes on to cite Os Mutantes and Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci as examples of music he enjoys “…without necessarily understanding a word.” Those lyrics which I was able to translate were interesting, and I imagine that the remainder are well worth deciphering – while Zannad wrote the music, lyrical duties were left to film-maker Serge Bozon, with whom Zannad worked on the movie 'La France'. Personally I found that the album was beginning to flag slightly around the four track mark, but fortunately the high point was, in an example of excellent sequencing, waiting for me when I got to track five. 'Barques' is a piano led instrumental very much in the style of the Beach Boys’ 'Passing By' – wordless, harmony vocals over a beautifully inventive and delicate piano. Quite simply, it is a breath-taking track. The album closes with 'Paresse', with a stately piano introduction leading to a full-blown production including strings, more of those gorgeous slab vocals and yet another terrific performance from the rhythm section. At a mere twenty-eight minutes long, I think that I would feel somewhat cheated if I were to buy this album. Certainly, it features two outstanding and four or five good songs, but ultimately the purpose of an album is to entertain, and I feel that twenty-eight minutes is just too short. Perhaps Zannad is tipping his hat to the Beach Boys’ 'Friends' (another album which runs for less than thirty minutes) – it is clear that much of his sonic inspiration comes from mid-period Brian Wilson, and his Beach Boys style harmonies are fantastic. Despite this being his first solo effort, Zannad is no stranger to the recording studio. He has been recording with the band Fugu for ten years and helped pen their critically acclaimed 2005 album 'As Found'. Having only listened to Fugu recently, I am impressed by the freshness of this recording – there really is, as the title implies, a sense of breaking away. Overall, this is a good album, but certainly not one that I would pay full-price for – it’s simply too short. Encore, s’il vous plait.

Track Listing:-