Indochine
Dancetaria

THE REVIEW

The period of crisis began in 1990 with the departure of members from the group and the release of increasingly disappointing albums, such as "Un jour dans notre vie"(1993) and "Wax"(1996), which however signals a desire to experiment, something that will continue with "Dancetaria". Furthermore, a member of the Sirkis Duo, the guitarist Stephane, brother of the leader, dies in the recording studio, forcing the release date of the album to be postponed by almost a year, to avoid commercializing the grief. Nicolas, now left alone, wants to mark a turning point by hiring Gareth Jones as producer and with four new musicians, who become part of the band for the sold-out tour of 2000.

The album opens with the title track, a music box accompanied by strings, then interrupted by an electronic base formed by synthesizers and drums. The tones change significantly in "Juste toi et moi", a very catchy pop-rock piece with a chorus that instantly sticks in your head. "Manifesto (la division de la joie)" still echoes the group's desire to experiment, returning to the electronic sounds that characterize the first track.
"Justine" is an acoustic song, but not capable of delivering strong emotions. "Atomic Sky" instead is a stadium song, meant to be shouted by 80,000, despite being very dark, but equipped with a compelling chorus. Even darker is "Rose Song", which anticipates the sounds of the next studio work. More Cure and less '90s pop, a very good composition. "Stef II", on the other hand, has a very ambiguous text but with a great musical impact, being musical.
"She Night": synthesizers, strings, and acoustic guitars compose the sound of this song which is the best on the album, with the singer masterfully interpreting the lyrics, almost as if it were a prayer that comes from deep within the heart. Capable of delivering strong and heartfelt emotions. "Venus" instead is another stadium song, useful for opening a concert, with instruments gradually overlapping to form a repetitive melody throughout the piece. With "Astroboy", the group mixes all the genres tackled since the debut, new wave, oriental sounds, electronics, pop, and rock, obtaining a catchy piece with yet another ambiguous text. "Halleluya" is introduced by a bass that agitates, worries, spreads terror in the listener, but then interrupts with the liberation of a suffering soul, perfectly interpreted by the singer. "Le message" instead concludes everything, a carpet of keyboards with an oriental touch, which brings the group back to the '80s.

Sometimes ambiguous lyrics, which characterized the group in the '80s, with sounds mixing electronics and '90s pop rock are the right recipe to reopen the grand public doors for this group that made the history of new wave music in France.