Review

Chansons parodisiaques is my first contact with the Québec-based chanteuse Nathalie Derome. She is joined on this recording by the versatile René Lussier (a seasoned regular on the Ambiances magnétiques label) on guitar and his now infamous “daxophone”, as well as Guillaume Dostaler on Rhodes and synths. The songs are a strange, almost carnivalesque blend of styles, playing on the conventions of pop, jazz and cabaret, among others. Derome’s voice bounces around in so many directions, and is able to create just as many moods; in one moment she can be reciting a rapid fire of lyrics and the next she’ll be sounding a haunting and more abstract song. The instrumentation is superb, though difficult and unconventional; I really enjoyed listening to Dostaler’s spirited keyboards and Lussier’s schizophrenic guitar. A meeting place for three bizarre and innovative artists, this album grows on the listener with mysterious charm.