Review Summary: A masterclass in the art of being cool.
French people always seem to excel at effortlessly exuding elegance and class while maintaining an element of playfulness. Cortex’s
Troupeau Bleu is no exception, nonchalantly pouring out sophistication by the bottle-load but with a mild flirtatious quality to soften the edges. One example of imagery the sound of this album conjures in my mind is strolling through the classy ambience of a high-end home lighting store with various contraptions encased in crystal glinting at you from every angle, all the way to the peripheries of your vision. Another is the hyper-sexualised 90s TV advertisements attempting to make the latest affordable hatchback look cool. Maybe that’s just me and my warped mind.
While jazz fusion is clearly an accurate description for
Troupeau Bleu, it also seems constraining. Funk, samba, progressive rock, classical and pop influences are all at play here. Opener “La rue” sets the scene in style with its funky roller-coaster basslines, smooth sax licks, virtuosic keys and drumming tighter than two coats of paint. Soaring above it are the ethereal vocals of Mireille Dalbray which somehow manage to sound warming and melodic but also refrigerated. By the time third track “L’enfant samba” rolls around, things have simmered down to a relaxed bossa-nova inspired groove with the percussion and keys shuffling along effortlessly underneath the ever-angelic vocals. It would be an atrocity to not mention the inclusion of what can only be described as the most appropriate saxophone solo ever recorded – it hits right in the middle of the track and couldn’t be more perfect for the song.
The middle portion of the album is dominated by it’s two longest tracks, the eponymous “Troupou Bleu” and enchanting “Chanson d’un jour d’hiver”. On both, the groovy funk is overtaken by a more progressive, epic sound and the electric keys that dominate the rest of the album are swapped out for piano. This is used to great effect on the title track with stabbing piano chords providing a feeling of apprehension while shimmering cymbal work on the appropriately named “Chanson d’un jour d’hiver” create visions of sweeping, snow-covered landscapes. As ever, the unique, captivating qualities of the vocals are omnipresent.
The back third of the album finds itself back in jazzy territory where we find the high point in the suite “Sabbat”. “Sabbat, pt. 2” is a delicious jam session with frenetic drum rhythms reminiscent of Art Blakey’s “The Drum Thunder Suite” and when coupled with the vocals in the opening minute, the overall sound wouldn’t sound out of place on a turn-of-the-millennium Stereolab offering. The track gradually morphs into a high-intensity improv monster with all members firing on all cylinders before “Sabbat, pt 3” brings everything back to Earth smoothly.
Existing as a truly progressive melting pot of genres with elite musicianship and jaw-droppingly effective attention to atmosphere, Cortex is as cool as f
uck, as French as f
uck, and
Troupeau Bleu is sure as f
uck more than worth your time.
