Paranoïa, Angels, True Love

by Christine and the Queens

Overview

The era Christine and the Queens began with Redcar les adorables etoiles was all about defying musical expectations and creating a musical world distinct from any of the project's previous work. Chris described the music from this period as "an operatic gesture." That's a perfect description of Paranoia, Angels, True Love, an album even more ambitious and overtly theatrical than its predecessor. Like Redcar, it borrows from the mythical, spiritual storytelling of Tony Kushner's Angels in America, but its explorations of loss (Chris was grieving the loss of his mother as well as a breakup while making the album) as a catalyst for becoming feel notably different. Where Redcar swirled together several different styles, Paranoia concentrates on spacious songs with lengthy passages that seem equally primed for dance numbers or deep contemplation. Chris' masterful ballads make up the introspective heart of the album and provide many of its highlights. Set to a hypnotic trip-hop beat, "Tears Can Be So Soft" is a quietly cathartic testament to sitting with grief; "To Be Honest" and "A Day in the Water" are quintessential examples of Christine and the Queens' luminous synth pop; and the exquisite yearning of "Flowery Days" uses little more than piano and bass to brilliant effect. On moments like these, Paranoia feels much more naked and lonely than Redcar, but it's one of Chris' most collaborative works. He previously worked with rapper 070 Shake on the single "Body," and their reunion on "True Love" is a standout, blending heartache and sensuality with the effortless warmth that has been one of Chris' greatest strengths since Chaleur Humaine. Paranoia uses another brilliant pop artist in a decidedly non-pop way: Madonna appears as an angelic artificial intelligence and gives convincingly ethereal spoken-word performances when she visits Chris during his darkest moments ("Angels Crying in My Bed," "I Met an Angel") and epiphanies (the triumphant resolution of "Lick the Light Out"). These aren't the only instances where Chris takes risks on Paranoia, Angels, True Love. "Track 10" is a striking 11-minute crucible for the album's sorrow, anger, desire, and joy, with a seismic sub-bass driving its transformative ritual of dance; though the choral noise-rock of "He's Been Shining for Ever, Your Son" and the snarling, prowling "Let Me Touch You Once" (another 070 Shake collaboration) are shorter, they're just as uncompromising. However, the room Chris affords himself to experiment sometimes dulls the album's impact. The vocoder and riff-heavy reprise of "Overture" feels unnecessary, and while "Big Eye" initially provides a feeling of closure, it doesn't expand on that mood much as it stretches out for nearly eight minutes. Though Chris fully commits to Paranoia, Angels, True Love's sweeping scope, as a whole it doesn't feel as rewarding as the diamond-like clarity and brilliance of Chris or La Vita Nuova. Even if it's missing some of the electrifying immediacy of those works, there's a lot of challenging and emotionally powerful music here for fans to appreciate. ~ Heather Phares

Product Details

Release Date:	06/09/2023
Label:	Because Music
UPC:	5056556112167
Rank:	52387

Tracks

1. Tears can be so soft
2. Marvin descending
3. A day in the water
4. Angels crying in my bed
5. Flowery days
6. True love
7. Aimer, puis vivre
8. Lick the light out
9. To be honest

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Christine and the Queens   Primary Artist
Madonna   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Mike Dean   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
070 Shake   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Davide Rossi   Strings
Joseph Bishara   Strings
Darren King   Drums
Vincent Taeger   Drums
Vincent Taurelle   Piano
Amaury Ranger   Bass
Sarah Schachner   Strings
Adrian Edeline   Guitar

Technical Credits

Joseph Bishara   Composer
Leon Ware   Composer
Marvin Gaye   Composer
Mike Dean   Mixing,Composer,Producer,Mastering
Johann Pachelbel   Composer
Julien Bescond   A&R
Paolo Roversi   Photography
Darren King   Composer
Ash Workman   Composer,Engineer
Sarah Schachner   Composer
Christine and the Queens   Arranger,Producer
Heloise Letissier   Composer
A.G. Cook   Additional Production
Antoine Poyeton   Assistant Engineer
Danielle Balbuena   Composer
Marie Pieprzownik   Cut
Gregory Lake   Composer
Alexander Guy Cook   Producer
Tommy Rush   Composer,Producer,Additional Production