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THE REVIEW
1992: Noir Désir releases their fourth studio album, "Tostaky".
Dirty sounds, with lyrics written in French, English, and Spanish, characterize the album, which will begin to make the band known in their homeland.
As soon as "Here It Comes Slowly" starts, the band's rock fills the auditory pavilion: distorted guitars and the insolent voice of the leader capable of charging the listener. "Ici Paris" is a track aimed more at the general public, with a whistle-able chorus while still maintaining the original sound.
After a sparkling start, we come to "Oublié," a song that starts very slowly and, after a slow crescendo, fades at the end, almost as if wanting to close the first part of the CD.
After "Alice," a track that doesn't clash with the rest of the album but is not unforgettable, "One Trip/One Noise" begins, a historic track of the band where the sounds are a mix of rock guitars and world music, a genre revisited on a large scale in the latest "Des visages, des figures". But the most significant song on the album is certainly "Tostaky (le continent)". The title is the contraction of "Todo està aquì". The track is centered on a guitar riff for more than five minutes, where Cantat & Co. bring out all the rage from the guts against everything that's wrong in the world, involving the listener and charging them to the max until... they suddenly stop playing and, after a few seconds of pause, "Marlène" starts, a "different" track that begins with the bass and takes shape as the seconds pass.
"Johnny Colerè": the title says it all: anger, anger, and more anger encapsulated in just over two minutes, a chant against the politics of the time. It's well known that Noir Désir always heavily criticized French politics.
"7 minutes" is marked by distorted guitars, a slow crescendo able to leave you in a trance, only to be abandoned and picked up again to be brought to the "City built for you":
"Welcome to the city
The city's done for you
Yell with the underdogs
Make sure they won't bite you"
and return to being alone and nobody in the world.
When everything returns to normal, "Sober Song" begins, telling the story of a person who prays to God to become sober and be able to drink water until death. In "It Spurts," we return to the classic sound of the band, full of energy and hatred both in the lyrics and the music.
Closing the album is "Lolita Nie en Bloc," the most acoustic song of the entire record, even though the chorus suddenly explodes with sounds.
The band's most successful and angriest album, unable to replicate at these levels but never letting their guard down until the definitive collapse, which occurred in just half an hour in a hotel room in Vilnius.
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Summary by Bot
Released in 1992, Noir Désir's album Tostaky is marked by raw, distorted rock sounds and politically charged lyrics in French, English, and Spanish. Standout tracks like "Tostaky (le continent)" and "Johnny Colère" showcase the band's angry, rebellious spirit. The album balances intensity with moments of reflection, making it their most successful and powerful work. It remains a defining record in French rock history.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Noir Désir
Noir Désir are a French rock group from Bordeaux. They rose with Tostaky (1992) and reached broad recognition with Des visages des figures (2001) and the hit Le vent nous portera featuring Manu Chao. Their career ended following events in 2003; the band disbanded in 2010.09 Reviews
Other reviews
By stargazer
Noir Désir definitively abandon the status of 'next big thing' to become one of the most important rock groups France has ever had.
An album of great value, capable of providing strong emotions with every listen, despite being 14 years old.
By Blackdog
The urgency, the strong and moral need to express poorly concealed anger, restlessness, and ideals annihilated by boredom and frustration.
'Johnny Colere' speaks to me and shakes me with words of passion: "forget your father, forget your mother and forget yourself because it’s time to choose which side, in which 'camp' to take a stand".
