Mylène Farmer - Innamoramento

Released: 1999

Purchased: On SwapaCD, three or four years ago, I don't even fuckin' know anymore

Playthrough:

L'amour naissant - Absolutely gorgeous. I don't even have the words to describe it. I remember having to keep myself from listening to it too much when I got the album because I knew if I did, it'd lose its magic. One of Mylène's best ever vocal performances.

L'âme-stram-gram - Not one of her best singles, but she's got so many incredible singles that's not saying a lot. It's okay, but it comes across as filler to me (which is funny for a single).

Pas le temps de vivre - Elevator music, but again, really beautiful. It's easy to get lost in it, even though I barely remember it once it ends.

Dessine-moi un mouton - The album's big rock track. Definitely deserved to be a single in its own right, not off the live album.

Je te rends ton amour - Pas le temps de vivre, partie deux. But with a little twist melodically. It has the slightly off-kilter feeling of a lot of her earlier songs.

Méfie-toi - Also should've been a single. The closest the album gets to pure pop, but with a little undercurrent of anger.

Innamoramento - More elevator music. This one always irritates me because the chorus gets stuck in my head, but I can't remember quite how it goes.

Optimistique-moi - The spacey dance song, essentially this album's Dégénération. And creepy oedipal lyrics, just as we've all come to expect from Mylène.

Serais-tu là? - Has a very Cyndi Lauper-ish melody, but could do with being more memorable.

Consentement - Not much of a song.

Et si viellir m'était conté? - Er, likewise. I think I might've tuned out the album at this point, because I don't really remember any of the last three songs. I had to look them all up on iTunes and play the samples back.

Souviens-toi du jour... - Now, THIS one. I somehow completely forgot how incredible this song is. Vocals right up near the level of L'amour naissant, a beautiful melody, and perhaps the best production on the entire album. I remember listening to it on repeat for literally hours - it sends chills up my spine sometimes.

Mylenium - Basically a bonus track. It's just ambient electronic music and Mylène singing the word "innamoramento" over and over.

Verdict: I like this one a lot more than that review might lead you to believe, maybe because I do just tune it out when it gets boring (it's nice background music), or maybe just because its highlights are so incredible they outweigh the problem spots. It's been compared a lot to Ray of Light, which is appropriate in some ways, but I think it's more melodic and therefore more enjoyable, though it's also less electronic and more rock-oriented than Ray of Light. It's one of only two Mylène albums I can listen to from start to end without skipping anything (the other being its immediate predecessor, Anamorphosée), and unfortunately, at this point I can't see her topping it, since I haven't been too impressed by Bleu Noir and Monkey Me. This is one of those that I want to say every PJer should have. 9/10.

Standout: It's really close between L'amour naissant and Souviens-toi du jour, but I guess I ultimately have to go with the latter, not necessarily because I like it better, just because it's more accessible.