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It’s not every day that you hear about a band changing languages from one album to the next, but that’s exactly what DTCV did for their most recent release, Confusion Moderne. Making the switch from English to lead singer/songwriter Lola G’s native French, Moderne is (at least until I get a lyric sheet and a translation of it) to be judged almost exclusively from a sound perspective—which, as it turns out, is still pretty good.
The funny thing is that I don’t think I would have had near as much of an appreciation for this album if it had been in English. Instead of adjusting sound levels and straining to catch every word, I was able to relax and enjoy the blend of all of the music—including Lola G’s voice, which shows off a remarkable ability to adjust and fit into various genres.
While it all still manages to fit under the pop/rock heading, DTCV seems determined to stretch that line about as far as it can go, and Lola shows that she’s up for the challenge. Whether that’s casually drifting alongside soft surf rockers like “Bourgeois Pop” and “Impossible,” getting shorter and louder with a thumper like “L.A. Boum!,” grunging it down a bit with a punk rocker like “Conformiste,” or even just toning it back a notch so as not to overpower the slow, barebones instrumentals of something like “Soleil 2666,” Lola shows not only her incredible talent but also her unselfishness and intelligence in knowing what her songs need and how to pull it off.
Moderne hits its pinnacle with “L’Accord Parfait,” however, an absolutely perfect fit for Lola’s voice in the form of a relaxing, smooth cruiser with a nice, simple (yet memorable) melody, allowing Lola to spread out and let her notes just glide over the song. Meanwhile, songs like “Histoire Seule” and “We Aren’t the Champions” (the only song sung in English) evoke memories of bands that were big in the US back in the day—like The Cranberries and The Beastie Boys—further helping to move past the language barrier and just rock out. The only question now is how much better will this album get once I understand the lyrics.
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