Mylène Farmer's most electronic dance-oriented full-length studio album to date, Point de Suture is a full-fledged electro-pop effort. Though impressive and filled with highlights, not all fans will welcome the change in stylistic direction. While Farmer's previous album, Avant Que l'Ombre... (2005), is notable for its ambient electronica style, there's nothing ambient about Point de Suture. The dance beats are hard hitting, and the rhythms are propulsive and often unceasing. The music cries out for club play. As a matter of fact, Point de Suture seems tailor-made for Farmer's stadium-packed concert extravaganzas. The sound here is massive, and the louder one plays it, the better it is. However, Farmer loses some nuance in the process. There are only a couple downtempo songs on Point de Suture, "Point de Suture" and "Si J'Avais au Moins...," both standout ballads comprised of uplifting string arrangements and delicate vocal melodies rather than hard-hitting dance beats. Moreover, some fans will lament the absence of electric guitars and rock motifs à la Innamoramento (1999). "Paradis Inanimé," another of the many standout songs on Point de Suture, is the only song that rocks to any extent. The remainder of the disc is thoroughly electro-pop in style, and fortunately, most of these electronic dance-oriented songs are impressive, "Dégénération," "Appelle Mon Numéro," "Je M'Ennuie," and "C'Est dans l'Air" in particular. The odd song out is "Looking for My Name," an English-language duet with Moby that is a total drag at track five. With so many highlights, there's a lot to like about Point de Suture. It's nevertheless not one of Farmer's best albums. Longtime producer and composer Laurent Bouttonnat makes invigorating electro-pop, but it's far from cutting edge. Likewise, Farmer comes up with lyrics that are deep as far as electronic dance music goes, but the electro-pop style doesn't allow for the richness that many fans expect from her.
© Jason Birchmeier /TiVo