3 out of 5

Label: Constellation / Murailles

Produced by: Eric Chenaux, Cyril Harrison, Murailles Music and Constellation

I think Anohni and the Johnsons were the first band where I really couldn’t understand how people were into the vocals. Not that there aren’t plenty of vocalists whose styles I dislike, but I can generally link it to the genre of music – a good example being Robert Smith and The Cure: that’s a particular kind of music and singing style I don’t enjoy, and they feel linked stylistically. But with Anohni, I was a fan of the Secretly Canadian label, and theoretically enjoyed the band’s music, but I couldn’t get past the vocals. Because the world revolves around me, I assumed that’s how most people would respond, but instead… the band relatively blew up.

So – okay. People like things I don’t like; granted. But people will like things and I won’t be able to rationalize it: that was new.

That’s kind of been the case with Eric Chenaux. I’ve had trouble wrapping my mind around his work, and have kind of understood that it’s been so broad that people jump on at different points and find their way in. With Eric’s Delights Of My Life dropping into my play list (I collect the Murailles label on which it co-appears), I took a deep breath and went in for another round, and emerged with a more positive outlook – I quite liked the music at points- with a big ol’ caveat that I couldn’t much stand the vocals: Eric’s somewhat playful falsetto, and the faux-pop choruses, and the wandering, almost occasionally sing-song lyrics: couldn’t do it. As usual, not having learned any lessons, I scrambled to the internet for sympathy, and found that… geez, some people really like these vocals. Some people are wrapped into the music because of them.

Alright then. Armed with another layer of acceptance, I put on Delights for another spin. And I think I started to find my way in.

There is a smooth-jazz bop to the proceedings that’s very accessible, and opener This Ain’t Life is about as close to a single as the Chenaux “trio” (with Ryan Driver on wurlitzer and Philippe Melanson doing electro percussion) gets, and if I just let the music finds its own pace – which I’d say is very important to Eric, and his composing and singing style – man, it really works. Furthermore, beneath the rather cheery, kind exterior – a warm guitar line, clean percussion, harmonies – there’s darkness, with the lyrics somewhat obliquely poking at some pretty bleak stuff, which it assesses as “ain’t” life. This is probably the sharpest example of this approach on the album, and is thus a good opener: the song veritably has structure, including a long bridge of building instrumentation that leads into a surging resurgence of vocals and the chorus. The song is completely telling of the album’s style, but is also a very dialed in version of it.

From here, things spread out, with tracks often much less pointed. The midsection of the album suffers from this the most: while the compositions can be quite delightful – and I now find myself appreciating how Eric uses his combination of voice and guitar to “ground” a melody, then weirds it up as the song goes on, warping things minutely but super interestingly, making sure to push this into outre territory – the part-improvisational approach doesn’t guarantee the vague thoughts / imagery and plunking tunes actually resolve. So we’ll have hummable tunes that essentially just peter out.

The bookends, though, add enough edge or shape to this to leave an impression, with I’ve Always Said Love doing a similar lyrical juggle to the opener, and the closing title track a truly effectively soulful bit of, like, slocore jazz.

While I can’t claim to be fully on the Chenaux wavelength yet, from what I’ve read and now experienced, this album probably has to best chance of getting one there – including myself, as I’ve found subsequent spins of the album more and more rewarding, noting the little inflections added to the music, and finally deciphering a particular lyric and identifying a theme that clicks. If Eric’s vocals work for you from the jump – great. You’re on your way. If not, I’d ask that you give the record some time – I promise you, I was a tough sell, and Delights Of My Life has finally had me actually understanding Chenaux’s appeal.