Mystère

The distant rumble of the crashing sea and the odd squelch of moog provide a thrilling climax to a superb album.

This is bold, imaginative, and, on occasion, deliciously strange. [Nov 2016, p.32]

Ou Va Le Monde is twanging Tarantino-bait, Tatiana is a thumping, technophile take on The Velvet Underground, Le Chemin is gloriously woozy and Exorciseur is Gainsbourg-esque. But they're all eclipsed by the closing Vagues, a 13-minute psychodyssey. [Nov 2016, p.108]

It’s recognisably the work of an indie band, but not one constrained by preconceived notions of what indie must be, and it’s well worth your time.

La Femme’s second album Mystère continues where Psycho Tropical Berlin left off, though it is a more sophisticated affair, and perhaps more subdued too (though that’s no bad thing). There’s still room for the surf rock antics of the impossible catchy ‘Où va le monde’, but on tracks like ‘Septembre’, there’s a definite sense of foreboding as summer ends and the season changes.

With 15 tracks totaling over 70 minutes, including a 17-minute closer, Mystère's ambition will challenge the ears and endurance of some. Having said that, the album is well sequenced, alternating lighter and heavier tracks, and the whole presentation has that enviable je ne sais quoi--c'est cool.