ALB

YZG7879HGT is the secret entry code for the master keyboard of the machine room that controls one of the levers operating the brain of Clément Daquin, a brilliant one-man band who bears a resemblance to Patrick Dewaere and whose creativity rivals the work of Michel Gondry. Back in 2007, when Reims was not yet the most fashionable of cities, one of its more idiosyncratic inhabitants occasionally emerged from his studio-bunker-cellar in search of a Vietnamese Bò Bún salad or soldering iron. The rest of his time was spent working on the strange machines he brought back to life each day, talking to beatboxes, fiddling with buttons and designing scenery for the Yuksek tour. The rather likable Clément Daquin knew what he was doing as he shaped ALB, just as he had once configured the laptops at his graphic arts school. Machines were his friends and although the 2007 ALB formation was nominally a trio, it was complemented by a range of hybrid adulescent geek toys - half pop, half Pac-Man. At last, the first choice morsel of orange candy handed out by the Northern French perfectionist was his “Mange-Disque” (Slotted Record Player) album. Parodic record sleeves matched each song, enhancing its madcap sound concept as it invited listeners to check pharmaceutical instructions that would guide them through the vinyl-look CD. The music was pop, baroque and electronic, distinctive in style and filled with wistful, danceable arrangements. Today, his new pop canvas is more of a laser display board. On TRON, for instance, where funambulatory Daquin dances along his tightrope from start to finish, nodding to Jean-Michel Jarre, The Beach Boys, The Electric Light Orchestra, François de Roubaix, The Eagles, William Sheller and French Touch daddies Phoenix and Rob along the way. Given the wealth of material, it comes as no surprise that Alex Gopher and Jean-Benoît Dunckel produced remixes for the upcoming EP. And after his bassist left to join Bewitched Hands and singer Alio moved on, Clément turned to his good buddy the microphone. Daquin the singer had already explored his lyrical potential and was further inspired by his travels with Yuksek on a world tour in 2011/2012. Many concertgoers heard Clément for the first time as he performed with the eye-catching producer. Daquin the globetrotter saw the end of the world in Macao and his experiences lent a greater depth to his lyrics. At last, Daquin the songwriter emerged - a force to be reckoned with. Today, the geek from 2007 has become a quasi-kraut-rock musician, bringing us another gripping concept album, mixed by Stéphane “ALF” Briat. ALF meets ALB on this second opus, which is engraved with an emotional soldering iron. The tracks purposefully progress from acoustic to electronic, pop to prog, and lightness to tension, before reaching their final destination: Serenity Central. The bucolic flute on “Hypoballad” gives way to the Nintendo console of “Golden Chains”, the landscapes of “Natures Synthétiques”, the futuristic flights of “Oh!Louise", the photographic words of “Back To The Sun”, and the family groove confessions of “Never Miss You”. ALB has songs… and sounds, too. Sounds that conjure up childhood memories of days when we longed to bunk off school. And Kid Clément is still keen to stay at home, watching TV and hearing his first Moog on the original soundtrack of “The Neverending Story”. 25 years later, he chases these memories on stage. Throughout the gig, we feel that R2D2 is watching us, flanked by the ALB duo’s keyboards and drums. Theirs is a playback-free approach to live performance, with programmes activated by Clément and his drummer in the roles of Doc Brown and McFly at the wheel of their DeLorean, toiling away together to transport us back to 1985 or forward to 2025 (the year when Louise will be proud to listen to her daddy Daquin’s songs). Zombie Zombie, Silver Apples… or simply a geek show, as if the White Stripes had opted for an Atari instead of an old piano. ALB’s Clément has an eye on the dance-floor, too - but always with that lurking urge to go home and play on the console. Or with his soldering iron, odds and ends, and bits and pieces. GREAT SCOTT!