Coralie Clément - Bye bye beauté (2005)

Tinkling glassware and winking eyes, cruiser bikes and trailing scarves. Coralie Clément's Bye Bye Beauté is just as evocative as its predecessor, the 2002 debut, Salle des Pas Perdus. But this time, Clément and brother/producer/principal songwriter Benjamin Biolay have added chamber pop and joyous electric guitar flourishes to their quiet street-corner line drawings. "L'Impasse" and "Indécise" are well appointed with vintage keyboards and layers of guitar; the latter suggests a Francophonic take on Bettie Serveert. Clément whispers perfectly through "L'Enfer," puts a hand on her hip for the toe-tapping "Avec Ou Sans Moi," and returns to Salle's quieter mood for the gorgeous Fender Rhodes accompaniment of "Beau Fixe." Nada Surf's Daniel Lorca duets with Clément on the lilting, modernized '60s pop of "Mais Pourtant"; Lorca also contributes instrumentally throughout Bye Bye Beauté. "Ta Révérence" is a late-album highlight -- it features a great, Joe Meek-style vibrating guitar tone that really brightens up the song. That deft touch at the mixing board is another of the little things Beauté does right. It's not a very bold album -- Clément's vocals never explore beyond a simple hush. But her delivery is nevertheless just right, and she's aided immensely by Biolay's sure-footed, inventive arrangements. Romantic, very visual, and even a little rocking at times, Bye Bye Beauté is an enjoyable pop stroll.