Raphael

Hotel de l’univers (EMI)
by Michael McCarthy

When I attended Mylène Farmer’s concerts, there was no opening act. It was explained to me by several Parisians that nobody would dare open for her, because she’s so popular that the audience wouldn’t tolerate an opening act. (Apparently she had opening acts on early tours and somehow the audience persuaded them to get off the stage à toute vitesse.) Vanessa Paradis is arguably as popular as Farmer, perhaps even more, so I was surprised to find that a fellow named Raphael was opening for her. (That she spoke to the audience from backstage over the sound system when the venue went dark and said some kind introductory words apparently persuaded people to be nice; my French isn’t perfect but it almost sounded like she was begging everyone to be.) I’m quite glad he did though. Discovering his music, which was a lot more rock than pop, was one of the highlights of my trip and I recommend his disc, Hotel de l’univers, to fans of such French rock acts as Noir Désir, Autour De Lucie, and Louise Attaque. For those not familiar with them, I’d describe his sound as Foo Fighters (for the sharp yet melodic guitar work) meets Manic Street Preachers (for the haunting melodies).