M83

[LemonMelon]

One of my favs that I wish was mentioned more is Steve McQueen.

My favorite on the album.

 

[cobl04]

Raconte-Moi Une Historie.

 

[bono_212]

Raconte-Moi Une Historie.

 

[lazarus]

 

[iron yuppie]

Raconte must be the most divisive song that we've seen here in quite some time. I don't think that anyone feels moderate about it.

 

[bono_212]

I know I think those of you not in love with it are insane, so I suppose I agree

 

[Canadiens1131]

Raconte is pretty pedestrian Animal Collective-ish stuff.

It's nice, but very middle of the road if you have been all over indie music for a couple of years.

 

[u2popmofo]

No.

 

[LemonMelon]

What does Animal Collective even sound like anymore? The Animal Collective I knew from the Sung Tongs days bears no resemblance to the MPP stuff. I don't know that Raconte doesn't sound like M83 either.

I always find AC comparisons confusing, fwiw.

 

[lazarus]

Raconte is pretty pedestrian Animal Collective-ish stuff.

Regardless of what Raconte may resemble musically, it's the combination of that and the girl's musings that make it so special. That vocal sure doesn't remind me of Animal Collective.

It's nice, but very middle of the road if you have been all over indie music for a couple of years.

 

[bono_212]

When I read Canadien's post the first time, I thought he said Animal Crossing so I couldn't figure out what he was suggesting, except maybe that Animal Crossing is an average cutesy game, but nothing spectacular...

 

[LemonMelon]

Pretty pedestrian if you've played The Sims for a couple of years.

 

[u2popmofo]

Pretty pedestrian if you've played The Sims for a couple of years.

 

[iron yuppie]

Having now heard Raconte several times, I think that putting the spoken-word bit in French would have vastly improved the song by giving it a bit of mystery, at least to us Anglophones. As much as I try to understand the lyrics, though, I just cannot comprehend what he was trying to accomplish there. It doesn't work as a child's fantasy. It doesn't work as a hallucinogenic parable. It doesn't work as ecological warning. It doesn't work as a political commentary based on the pejorative term "Frog." It doesn't work as some sort of postmodern exercise in absurdity. It's just an utter train-wreck lyrically. Apologies to those of you who like it.

 

[u2popmofo]

I think you're looking into it way too much.

 

[cobl04]

Sometimes, I like music because I like it.

 

[lazarus]

Once you look past the frogs/drug/sensory stuff, it seems pretty simple to me:


we can be a whole group of friends
a whole group of frogs
jumping into the streets
jumping into the planet
climbing up the buildings
swimming in the lakes and in the bathtubs
we would be hundreds, thousands, millions
the biggest group of friends the world has ever seen
jumping and laughing forever
it would be great, right?


Your standard hippie, positivity, togetherness sentiment. Think Lennon's Imagine. And what's wrong with that? It fills my heart up and makes me want to call all my friends and tell them I love them.

WE ARE THE 99%

OCCUPY EVERYWHERE


#topical

 

[iron yuppie]

Your standard hippie, positivity, togetherness sentiment. Think Lennon's Imagine. And what's wrong with that? It fills my heart up and makes me want to call all my friends and tell them I love them.

Did you just compare this song to Imagine? I'm just going to believe that you were being sarcastic and/or facetious.

 

[LemonMelon]

It doesn't work as a hallucinogenic parable.

I disagree.

My apologies!

 

[cobl04]

Even if you don't like that bit, the second half doesn't fill you with joy?

A la

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzZQJZdcCU4

?

 

[lazarus]

Did you just compare this song to Imagine? I'm just going to believe that you were being sarcastic and/or facetious.

Yeah, because Imagine is such a brilliant piece of lyric writing.



The beauty is in the simplicity.

 

[iron yuppie]

??? You've gone on record many, many times in defense of Imagine's lyrics. But if we are really to the point where we are seriously likening Raconte to Imagine, we have reached the absolute pinnacle of hyperbole on this forum.

 

[cobl04]

I'd like to take this opportunity to say that there are many, many, many songs I like a hell of a lot more than Imagine.

 

[lazarus]

I think Imagine is one of the greatest songs ever written because of how simple, rational, and positive the message is, and how it fits the melody, John's vocal performance, etc. This is why it became such a popular and powerful anthem.

But it's certainly not the best example of his creativity; I'd point to Strawberry Fields or I Am The Walrus For that.

The reason I think Raconte Moi is so effective is, again, because of the simplicity, and it harkens back to childhood when the world is not such a complicated place. In the lyrics I quoted above, the child imagines that people can just be together and enjoy basic pleasures: swimming, laughing, jumping, etc. I don't believe these two forms of idealism are so far apart, even if Anthony Gonzalez isn't a politically active figure as John Lennon.

Your condescension is really unnecessary.

 

[PhilsFan]

when you look at the argument from the view that the song sucks, it would seem that you are insulting imagine. IY seems pretty set on the lyrics being bad.

 

[iron yuppie]

The reason I think Raconte Moi is so effective is, again, because of the simplicity, and it harkens back to childhood when the world is not such a complicated place. In the lyrics I quoted above, the child imagines that people can just be together and enjoy basic pleasures: swimming, laughing, jumping, etc. I don't believe these two forms of idealism are so far apart, even if Anthony Gonzalez isn't a politically active figure as John Lennon.

And that's a great message. But you seem to be suggesting that the manner in which a positive message is conveyed doesn't matter - that's the thing with which I completely disagree. Whereas Imagine is effortless and smooth, Raconte is cloying, overly-precious, and almost unbelievably heavy-handed. Even if the two are similar thematically, they could not be more distant in terms of execution.

I'm not saying that everyone has to agree with me, but I'm really baffled by the response to this song. Chris Martin has written dozens of songs with these saccharine, return-to-innocence style themes, yet he is consistently derided as the worst lyricist on the plant. Then Gonzalez writes something similar, about a magic frog of all things, and is applauded for it.

 

[LemonMelon]

Dude, Chrissy could never get high/French enough to think that far out of the box. It's a silly comparison. Chrissy thinks in broad and ambiguous themes like love and soul and stuff, whereas this song is about a magic frog.

 

[The Sad Punk]

Does it really matter if some people think Raconte is a throwaway song, or a sonic masterpiece?

Do things about stuff matter?

I mean, I get the impression we all agree that this is a great album no matter how we feel about this one song.

 

[Imperor]

Count me in the "Raconte" lovers camp, even if the delivery of the "suddenly becomes your daddy" line reeks of the gay kid from Curb Your Enthusiasm S8 finale.

 

[u2popmofo]

I just can't see any point in trying to look deeply into what a French guy who's notoriously included incredibly bizarre nonsensical English lyrics in songs for years now has to say in his lyrics. I'm not even sure if he knew what he was trying to say, it is what it is. The bizarre and "off" ESL lyrics have been part of the charm, why the hell is anyone trying to look for deep meaning in this crap? M83 started as a "no lyrics" type of band, you can't suddenly expect amazing deep lyrics in songs about frog licking from that. It's like slighting My Bloody Valentine because the lyrics to Soon are shallow (MBV pun intended), the lyrics aren't even the point of the music.