Only lazy reviewers rely solely on promotional copy to write their reviews. Occasionally, though, nothing sums up a record more succinctly, as is the case with Les quatre ronds sont allumés. “In a short film atmosphere,” reads the press info, “Nathalie Derome performs a few of her songs with Guillame Dostaler and René Lussier.” Making use of vocals (both sung and spoken), guitar, keyboards and synthesizers, Derome leads the listener through a moody, carnivalesque soundscape. With the lyrics and the lyric sheet written in French, English-speakers may find it hard to follow the plot. The album’s first half recalls Tom Wait’s mid-’80s Rain Dogs period, while the second half employs sparse instrumentation and quietly emotional vocals.