Renegade Breakdown

Marie Davidsonが〈Ninja Tune〉から放つ最新作!
〈DFA Records〉からのリリースでも知られるPierre Guerineaと、〈Orange Milk〉からリリースをするAsael Robitailleの両名とのコラボ作品!

〈Ninja Tune〉からリリースしたアルバム『Working Class Woman』によって世界的な人気を獲得したMarie Davidsonが新たなプロジェクトを始動!

今回のリリースは、〈PAN〉や〈Minimal Wave〉といったレーベルで多くのプロデュースワークを行いながら、MarieとのデュオEssaie pasとしてLCD SoundsystemのJames Murphy率いる〈DFA Records〉からのアルバムも高評価を得たPierre Guerineaと、ニューヨークを拠点に先鋭的なデジタル・アート/エレクトロニック・ミュージックを扱う〈Orange Milk〉からのリリースや、Ramzi (〈RVNG〉、〈Moodhut〉)のプロデュースを手がけることで知られるAsael Robitaille、という実力者2人とのコラボレーション・プロジェクトとなっている。

クラブカルチャーから離れたいというMarie Davidsonの思いからこのプロジェクトはスタートし、80年代のニューウェイブやポップ・ミュージック、そしてシカゴ・ハウスなどに影響を受けたサウンドを繰り広げる表題曲「Renegade Breakdown」や、エレクトロなビートの上でMarieが歌い上げる彼女らしい楽曲の「C'est parce que j'm'en fous」、バロック音楽やカーペンターズなどからの影響を元に制作された「Lead Sister」などを収録。

3人の様々な音楽的バックグラウンドが色濃く感じられる傑作がここに誕生した。

As Marie Davidsons music progressively became more club-focused throughout the 2010s, she spent more time on the road, lugging her gear to countless venues and festivals via constant red-eyed flights. Her sharply focused 2018 full-length Working Class Woman detailed how her exhaustive schedule was taking its toll on her physical and mental health through cathartic and motivational spoken word tracks as well as frantic, knotty electro instrumentals. It was easily her most acclaimed work yet, ranking in numerous year-end lists and scoring a huge, enduring club hit with the cheeky single Work It, which earned a Grammy nomination thanks to its remix by Soulwax. Having already named an album Adieux au Dancefloor, Davidson announced her absolute retirement from club music in 2019. She formed the trio LŒil Nu with frequent collaborators Pierre Guerineau (her husband and partner in the duo Essaie Pas) and Asael R. Robitaille (aka Bataille Solaire) with the intention of writing pop-inspired songs, drawing from formative influences like Fleetwood Mac, Billie Holiday, and French soundtracks. Renegade Breakdown, the opening title track to the trios first record, is the closest Davidson comes to revisiting her older work, making snarky declarations like There are no money makers on this record/This time Im exploring the losers point of view and The uglier I feel, the better my lyrics get over guitar-driven horror-disco beats and slappy synth-bass. Worst Comes to Worst is the albums only other disco-friendly cut, with diced hard rock guitar riffs and acidic synths outfitting Davidsons lyrics of emotional topsy-turviness. The dark, autumnal folk of Center of the World (Kotti Blues) and nostalgic chanson La Ronde lead into the defiant synth pop of Cest parce que jmen fous, one of the albums most sophisticated productions. The jazzy, brush-drummed lament Just in My Head continues touching on themes of tour-bound loneliness and disenchantment with the music scene, and the performing arts industry in general. The hallucinatory, cinematic sound design and poetic lyrics of the Karen Carpenter-inspired Lead Sister are fascinating, but other tracks, such as the gentle acoustic ballad My Love and the sluggish, dramatic Back to Rock, drag on for too long. Even though Renegade Breakdown intentionally lacks the club energy that drove much of Davidsons best-known material, its at least as inventive and exploratory. ~ Paul Simpson