A New Dimension To Modern Love

Album review

A New Dimension to Modern Love is the full-length debut of Popincourt, the performance nickname of singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Olivier Popincourt. Counting Paul Weller among his primary influences, Popincourt is a Frenchman with an English musical persona partial to '80s-veneered sophisti-pop that straddles Prefab Sprout and Weller's Style Council. Far from a D.I.Y. effort, the album features a roster of guest musicians, with Popincourt covering an array of keyboard instruments, guitars, and percussion. It was produced by film composer Sébastien Souchois and mixed by Souchois and Ken Stringfellow of the Posies, both of whom also contributed performances. Sultry brass, syncopated rhythm guitar, expanded guitar chords, and airy vocal harmonies by Gabriela Giacoman of French Boutik grace the title track, which evokes both of the aforementioned jazz-hued English bands. "Off Track" delves into the more wistful end of that spectrum until invigorated by a trumpet, drums, and rhythm guitar break that fades out to end the song. Complementing more than contrasting, the bouncy jangle and stylized chord progressions of "I Found Out" recalls Roddy Frame's Aztec Camera as well as Frame disciple Johnny Marr. The variety here includes the campy, '60s sunshine pop entry "Happy Town" and two instrumental interludes consisting of a brief, rhythm section-enhanced trumpet solo and a reprise that swaps out trumpet for synths. As indicated by the title, lyrics reflect on love, relationships, and their inherent complications, altogether making for a nostalgic but above all affectionate debut.

© Marcy Donelson /TiVo