Multitude - Stromae (2022)

I don’t know anything about Stromae. He is apparently Belgian, and this is apparently a long-awaited comeback after he basically retired from public life.

It’s a distinctly modern Francophone sort of record, mixing French musical traditions with cutting edge production of transglobal pop. It’s also loaded with references to musical styles from all over the world. The beats and songcraft are equally flawless and elegant, and he’s an excellent singer to boot. I can’t comment much on the lyrics, since I barely know enough French to order coffee, but I have no doubt they’re great, given the high quality of everything else here.

Tracks I liked.

Santé - Listen to the guitar at the beginning. There’s a little stutter-step figure that adds a little syncopation. That’s pretty common in Latin and some European folk music. But then he replaces that with the synth and drums, keeping the stutter, and it makes for a wildly original beat that you’d swear is broken but really isn’t.

Fils de joie - As best I can make out, the classiest song about pimps and hookers ever conceived. Proof that everything sounds better in French.

L’enfer - a great ballad, enhanced with choir and electronics