Those Europeans sure love their electronic music, and in Emilie Simons case, we cant blame them. Simons girlishly wispy vocals are similar to those of fellow chanteuse Charlotte Gainsbourg, only shes backed by an otherworldly aura and killer dance beats that have made her a critical and commercial success in her native France for years. Shes released both floral- (The Flower Book) and plant- (Végétal) themed albums and composed the score to the original March of the Penguins. Songs like Dame de Lotus feature driving electric guitars and hypnotic melodies, while her music videos singularize her as impossibly cool (Flowers turns Simon into a claymation doll amongst a population of creepy toys, à la Tim Burton) and impossibly sexy (Fleur de Saison depicts her posing nude as vines wrap around her body) all at once. Yet Simon accompanies her music with exquisite lyrics that expose the tenderness underneath all that edginess.
Tue., June 30, 8 p.m., 2009