NOIR DESIR

NOIR DESIR
DU CIMENT SOUS LES PLAINES (1990)
320 KBPS

With their second album, Noir Désir went through some changes. For one thing, they decided to stick to the type of music which was to become their trademark — raw, energetic rock. The wide variety of styles that could be heard on their previous offerings had disappeared. Because of this, the band lost some of its commercial appeal for a while, but managed, nonetheless, to remain France's leading rock band. Also of note — very few of the lyrics on Du Ciment Sous les Plaines are about politics, and there are not as many puns. Five of the 14 tracks are in English — among these, "The Holy Economic War" might be a good introduction to the band, as it is very representative of their musical style and has political lyrics. Other tracks (like "Tout l'Or") were written in both French and English. This is a good album, but when compared to Noir Désir's other material, it seems clear that they were still searching for themselves. Whatever its flaws are, "Dy Ciment sous les Plaines" was an important step for Noir Désir and remains an entertaining listen.

1. No No No
2. En Route Pour La Joie
3. Charlie
4. Tu M'Donnes Le Mal
5. Si Rien Ne Bouge
6. The Holy Economic War
7. Tout L'Or
8. La Chanson De La Main
9. Pictures Of Yourself
10. Les Oriflammes
11. Elle Va Où Elle Veut
12. Le Zen Emoi
13. The Chameleon
14. Hoo Doo