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by Paniluni«e ■.

Paris. Malcolm toelaren. (Bisques Vogue)

The latest release from ffie 'ehfant terrible of the music world, proves to be as groundbreaking and seductive as his previous works, and love him or hate him, the man oozes panache. Paris is Mclaren’s ode to the city and is a beautiful and emotional evocation, which carries the listener from the sidewalks to the catwalks of this romantic ideal, exploring the mystery, darkness and light which make up his vision of Paris. Conflicting rythms and musical styles coalesce as the listener is taken on a journey through Paris, past and present, with Mclaren utilising as often as not, the spoken word in conjunction with ethereal vocal chorus to tell a story as well as convey an image or feeling. The ultimate example of this is the track “Paris Paris” in which Catherine Deneuve seductively speaks the verse lyric, effortlessly conveying the essence of Paris. Francoise Hardy and Amina also make beautiful French language contributions to the collection, backed by equally fine musicians and vocalists. I

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