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La Femme Verte’s “Small Distortions” is, just as the title of the album says, an insignificant stray from original tracks, with new instruments and new voices that do not defamiliarize the listener’s perception at all. What is more, some, if not all, bring a novel, and freshly squeezed beat out of songs from as old as 1961 and as new as 1996 that we must have heard before at least one hundred times each. Let it be clear from the very beginning: we, at Viva Music love the original songs, but “Small Distortions” makes us love some of them even more.

Let’s start with the Rolling Stones’ 1971 “Moonlight Mile”: Jay Aston and Julianne Regan make it an enviable counterpart to the original, adding a tinge of heartfelt ease with the song. It is still Julianne Regan who makes NINE INCH NAILS’ “Hurt” a heteroclite diamond, showing an artistic self-awareness few artists are capable of.

LOU REED’s classical piece “Perfect Day” is dramatized by VINCENT LIBEN to great effect, and all the more Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence” shines in the rendition by SHADOWHUNTRESS. And while you would expect to hear THE PET SHOP BOYS blaring their “Being Boring”, we must confess that JULIANNE REGAN and JEAN-MARC LEDERMAN could easily pretend they created the song and sing it out of habit, since their rendition sounds natural, positive and not at all naïve.

A cornerstone of both romance movie aficionados and karaoke fans, HENRY MANCINI/AUDREY HEPBURN’s “Moon River” is beautifully rendered in its ‘small distorted’ version. SOPHIE VELDMAN and SAMDEVOS are great as NICK CAVE and KYLIE MINOGUE in “Where the Wild Roses Grow”, and JULIANNE REGAN does not cease to amaze with her rendition of “Twin Peaks”’s JULEE CRUISE version of “Falling”. A song that made many a heart melt, “Monday Monday” from THE MAMAS AND THE PAPAS leaves no hint that the song is going to have its half-a-century anniversary soon, thanks to BETRAND BURGALAT.

It goes the same with BILLY PAUL’s “Me & Mrs. Jones”, SOPHIE VELDMAN’s exercise in vocal excellence. It is up to JEREMIE ORSEL to conclude this immense effort of so many artists, with an intellectual and at the same time fresh version of the GLEN CAMPBELL song “Wichita Lineman”.

The album will be officially released on November 9, 2010. Until then you can visit the official site or listen to album samples and/or download it online here.

(versiune in limba romana)

Albumul “Small Distortions” produs de La Femme Verte’s este, asa cum indica si titlul, o insignifianta ratacire fata de melodii originale, cu instrumente si voci noi care nu defamiliarizeaza deloc perceptia ascultatorului. Mai mult, in unele, daca nu toate cazurile, vorbim de un sunet inovator si proaspat in melodii datand din 1961 pana in 1996, pe care cu siguranta le-am ascultat deja de o suta ori fiecare. Ca sa fie clar de la bun inceput: noua, la Viva Music, ne plac melodiile originale, dar “Small Distortions” ne face sa le iubim si mai mult.

Sa incepem cu “Moonlight Mile”, melodia din 1971 a celor de la the Rolling Stones: Jay Aston si Julianne Regan fac din ea o contrapartida de invidiat a originalului, adaugand o usurinta sentimentala melodiei. Tot Julianne Regan este cea care face din melodia “Hurt” de la NINE INCH NAILS un diamant heteroclit, dovedind o constiinta de sine de care putini artisti sunt capabili.

VINCENT LIBEN dramatizeaza piesa clasica a lui LOU REED, “Perfect Day” pentru maximum de efect, si inca si mai mult este valabil acest lucru in cazul “Enjoy the Silence”, melodia DEPECHE MODE care straluceste in redarea de catre SHADOWHUNTRESS. Si daca va asteptati sa auziti sunetul electric al celor de la THE PET SHOP BOYS in “Being Boring”, JULIANNE REGAN si JEAN-MARC LEDERMAN ar putea la fel de bine sa pretinda ca ei au creat melodia, atat de natural, pozitiv si deloc naiv suna interpretarea lor.

O piesa de rezistenta a fanilor filmelor romance si a fanilor de karaoke deopotriva, piesa HENRY MANCINI/AUDREY HEPBURN, “Moon River” este atat de frumos reprezentata de versiunea ei ‘doar usor distorsionata’. SOPHIE VELDMAN si SAMDEVOS sunt perfecti in rolurile NICK CAVE si KYLIE MINOGUE in “Where the Wild Roses Grow”, iar JULIANNE REGAN nu inceteaza sa uimeasca cu versiunea ei a melodiei lui JULEE CRUISE din “Twin Peaks”, si anume “Falling”. O melodie care a facut multe inimi sa suspine, “Monday Monday” a celor de la THE MAMAS AND THE PAPAS nu prea lasa indicii ca melodia isi va sarbatori curand jumatate de secol aniversar, gratie lui BETRAND BURGALAT.

Putem spune acelasi lucru despre exercitiul in excelenta vocala al lui SOPHIE VELDMAN in versiunea proprie a melodiei lui BILLY PAUL, “Me & Mrs. Jones”. Apoi, este randul lui JEREMIE ORSEL sa incheie efortul imens al atator artisti, cu o interpretare intelectuala, dar in acelasi timp proaspata, a “Wichita Lineman”, melodia lui GLEN CAMPBELL.

Lansarea oficiala a albumului este pe 9 noiembrie 2010. Pana atunci puteti vizita site-ul oficial sau asculta mostre din album si/sau descarca albumul online aici.