GutterPutter

At the time of 1200 Métres en tout’s release, Odezenne are among one of the most notable rap acts in France with their cues taken from the lyrics-based chanson tradition & their eclectic use of electronica. Banking on their writing as their main selling point to their fanbase, those who are well-versed in the French language will have respect on the duo for their concept albums. With 1200 Mètres en tout, the focus seems to be on the nature of mortality, love, & the ways in which we confront the finite time that we have while being alive. If you’re well-versed enough in French to get a grasp on music like these, then you’re likely in it for a bit of a treat. Otherwise, get a translation book out because there’s a lot of ways in which the theme of mortality is depicted.

The rather grim subject matter is matched by a slower, more downtempo sort of production as noted even in the very beginning with ‘Mr Fétis’ which takes on a stream-of-conscious contrast between the pleasures of life & its finite state. With the spacy, reverberating drumbeats, the impression around the lyricism suggests a fear around how we’re aware of how we progress from being young to old in the bid of our relationships. ‘Mamour’ shows a synth-based musicality with an emphasis placed on familial relationships & ‘Candi’ eschews the use of chorus in favour of a lengthy monologue around self-reflection on your position in life. As per expected given its chanson inspiration, the instrumentals do at times feel like they follow along with the vocal delivery such as in ‘Pablo’ which sees a digitalised organ playing amid a lament on a near-nihilistic breakdown on an empty relationship. When considered the android-like introspection of ‘San Pellegrino’ or the metaphoric flourishing in a relationship with ‘Géraniums’, the synthpop influence compliments the existential dread that pervades throughout the album. At times, could even turn on its head without coming off as being drastic in its tonal shift like the upbeat hopefulness of ‘Géraniums’.

Through tracks like ‘Caprice’, ‘Regarde si c’est loin’, ‘Palavas-les-flots’, and ‘Bitch’, the exploration on the disintegration of romance differs in execution with some being bigger hits than others. While some incorporate trap-inspired beats which doesn’t necessarily work all the time & could at times come off as a bad deterrent to the lyrical tone, it’s with highlights like ‘Hardcore’ where the more at-ease beats start to shine through with flying colours. Reminiscing over a what-if that is a love life that ends in disappointment rather than with children, the studio tinkering isn’t overwhelming & it’s with that that enables the song to be more impactful than some of the other tracks. Similarly, ‘Une danse de mauvais goût’ features a prominent singing performance from Mansfield.TYA’s Julia Lanöe who shows that she has a great voice to compliment a harmonic final verse. By having a piano to add a slight departure from the electronic formula, the result is that is a largely charming standout from the album.

However, the main problems surrounding 1200 Mêtres en tout originates from how at 16 tracks, there are some tracks that could be considered as fillers. In addition to the more overtly electronic songs that I’ve mentioned a paragraph ago, ‘Deux traits’ is a track that I’m not too overly fond of & with some autotune, it comes off as being a bit too cartoonishly edgy in conveying a sense of frailty. The last track in ‘Vu d’ici’ is initially set up to be inspiring as if you’re getting ready for whatever obstacles the future might bring out. However, when you already have a track like ‘Géraniums’ which is already a definite highlight, the record doesn’t feel so much a proper closure as it does a hammer-knocking reminder of the message behind the whole album. What this leads to is a slightly inconsistent album where the record’s whole experience feels like one jaggy spike after another.

So, is this album good? I would definitely say so. For either the introspective, the fans who wanted to dive deeper into synth-driven production, or ones who just wanted to listen to French music (specifically hip hop), this album is most likely the one for you since there’s a lot that could be found within it. However, more doesn’t always translate to bigger successes & while you do have worthwhile cuts in the album, the weaker tracks might not even be worth a listen for whatever writing quips Odezenne could come up with, let alone the production that could be found. Nonetheless, it’s with albums like these which makes varying up the listening experience interesting; it wouldn’t hurt to see what comes up next in France.