Running this site has put me in the path of a lot of bands clearly inspired by Stereolab. And while I like a lot of those (a whole lot), I think France's En Attendant Ana are the only outfit willing to take that reference point and run with it. The new record from this five-piece, Principia, is out tomorrow on Trouble in Mind Records, and it's one of the liveliest and most enjoyable things I've heard in a long time, even more so than their last offering on the same label nearly three years ago.
Things are wisely constructed around the vocals of Margaux Bouchaudon. Her voice imparts a vulnerability to some cuts ("Principia"), and a guarded glee in others ("Ada, Mary, Diane"). The musicians, particularly the rhythm section, move around her vocals, anchoring or embellishing as needed, like the bass-thump of "Black Morning", as integral here as Margaux's performance. Elsewhere, like in lead single "Same Old Story", the music veers slightly into a lane littered with snatches of free jazz, and sax like something out of an old X-Ray Spex mid-tempo number. En Attendant Ana manage to sound largely unique, despite the pieces here which an attentive listener might be able to pick out as evidence of the band being extremely well-versed in the form.
To these ears, Principia succeeds most where the band sounds like it's following Margaux Bouchaudon around the room, so to speak. "To the Crush" and especially "Wonder" are good examples of that effect. There's something jazzy here in the approach, even if the flourishes are clearly more post-punk than hard bop. It's just that these folks have a command that the looseness of the material masks. Nothing here feels over-thought, and the consistently clever interplay between vocalist and rhythm section guides these tracks to a special place, like the final two minutes of the closer, "The Fears, The Urge" where the song stretches out with a natural, assured elegance. I'm still sort of amazed by this record every time I play it. There's nuance, heart, wit, and charm here in amounts more than you'll find on nearly any other release of late.
Principia by En Attendant Ana is out tomorrow via Trouble in Mind Records.
[Photo: Greg Ponthus]