Paradize

Released to celebrate the tenth anniversary of their triumphant 2002 comeback, Paradize + 10 is a two-CD special edition of French new wave stalwarts Indochine's ninth studio album. Written off as has-beens before its release, the ever-changing Parisian outfit instead went on to achieve the biggest success of its career, selling over a million copies and scoring its first number one single in 15 years. A decade on and it still seems remarkable that such a dark and brooding record managed to restore them to their former glories. From the distorted post-punk of "Popstitute" to the My Bloody Valentine-esque shoegaze of "Dunkerque" to the gothic industrial rock of the opening title track, it's an album that screams cult hit rather than multi-platinum chart-topper. Other than the dreadful tinny piano-led chanson of "Un Singe en Hiver," it's held up pretty well, particularly the more melodic New Order-inspired moments ("Mao Boy!" "Le Manoir"), but it's the second disc of "odds and sods" that will provide the most intrigue for their loyal fan base. As you'd expect, the 11 remixes range from the reductive (a misjudged chamber folk reworking of "Comateen") to the inessential (the utterly pointless Bootleg Indochine vs. Cassius mix of "Punker") to the rather impressive, particularly Tricky's claustrophobic take on Melissa Auf der Mar duet "Le Grand Secret" and Curve's French Kiks Mix of "Marilyn," which turns the Muse-esque glam-tinged tribute to Manson into a turbocharged Chemical Brothers-style knob-twiddling anthem. The two B-sides included, the aggressive space rock instrumental "Glory Hole" and Depeche Mode pastiche "Le Doigt sur Ton Etoile," are equally hit and miss, ensuring that while new converts should enjoy discovering the original album, the package as a whole is only likely to appeal to Indochine completists. ~ Jon O'Brien