Artist Index
Eric Serra has scored two incredibly popular movies in his career : The Big Blue and The Fifth Element. RXRA is his first foray into pop music. This disc begins with a straight-ahead rock song, "Bizarre…", but from the beginning you can hear the influence of his soundtrack work. Sonar beeps and ambient sound effects decorate the landscape.
The second track, the lovely, flowing "Ce Qu’Il Y A de Pire", is driven by dramatic percussion and Middle Eastern touches. Surely Eric Serra is a Peter Gabriel fan – his influence is all over this record, but not to the extent that Serra loses his own identity.
Serra mixes a generous dose of world music with his own brand of dark, moody alternative rock. On the spooky track "Qu’Est-Ce Que J’Aime Ça" Serra sings: "J’ai pas lu Flaubert, ni Miller, ni Céline/ Mais je connais Led Zeppelin par coeur…Et qu’est-ce que j’aime ça!"
The delightful "Rêve Inhabité" is an uplifting duet between Serra and Chrissy Hynde, lead singer of the British rock group The Pretenders. The combination is heavenly, and Hynde sings in French!
This leads to the more experimental works on this album. "Reveillez les Somnambules" features Serra mixing spoken verse (sounding a lot like Serge Gainsbourg), murky harmonies, and unusual effects and noises. Against the minimalist techno-funk groove of "Les Babylonautes", Eric declares, "Je suis ton satellite…Je tourn’ tourn’ tourn’ autour de toi/ Et ça m’excite." For a finale Serra offers "Little Light of Love", an inspiring song about his vision of the future.
RXRA is a refreshingly original disc, entrancing and bold!
To hear a sample:
Eric Serra
RXRA
Item 04804 $21.95 CD. Songs:
Bizarre bizarre bizarre, Ce qu’il y a de pire, Thank you god, La couleur de
l’eau, Qu’est-ce que j’aime ça, Mr. BCMG, Rêve inhabité, Réveillez les
somnambules, Les babylonautes, The endless night, Little light of love. Lyrics included.
Three songs are in English.