Chris

I struggled with eighties pop throughout, and this [albeit more sophisticated] reincarnation of the genre is no exception. Only that it lacks the romantic perspective we can now afford eighties pop. Also, this album is way too long.

Like many other albums that are on this list I’m struggling to see why? But that’s the beauty of a list like this, variety and diversity. I didn’t dislike it, I just felt that I had heard the tunes before but with a different artist singing

Do you hate pop music? Do you hate french pop music? Do you hate french pop music that contains features ok k-pop, such as singing chorus in a foreign language? Then this is the perfect album to hate!

Not bussin

fuck yea gay shit on this list. mint.

i feel kind of conflicted here I liked the french version more than the english because I could enjoy the vocals and production, for that the french version gets a 6/10 but that was a really cringey message in english it felt like some kind of left wing circlejerk, like I’m just picturing excited soyjack looking at this album saying “holy shit! a queer, androgynous woman singing about how stupid god is! slay the patriarchy my queen!” it was just so lame and cringey hearing these lyrics, I’ll give the overall album a 4/10

i like - girlfriend, doesn't matter sounds like if chatgpt made music

I understand why someone enjoys this, but it's definitely not me. This is played daily at Marshall's though.

This album has a cultural importance that shouldn't be ignored, but musically, this brand of pop does less than nothing for me. Best track: Girlfriend

This album is deeply boring. Bland vocals. Uninspired arrangements. Flat, tinny beats. Respect to Letissier/Chris for living her truth, but this album is like a clone of the most boring, formulaic aspects of pop music in the 80s. Fave Songs: Don't have one. Doesn't Matter and Girlfriend are probably the least annoying to me.

Fuck it that was really fun

Now this is how you make a pop album up my alley. Full of bops and bangers, solid variety of sound and approach without sacrificing a clear identity, and just a damn good time.

I heard nothing in this album that made me think that it belongs on this list. 2/5

The definition of background music

Of course an incredible record. Christine and the Queens nails a balance between pop formula and experimentation within a synth framework that really blasts past her competitors in the pop scene. When listening to her, you feel very trendy but not douchey.

Competently executed but sorta soulless and glossy and generic late 2010s global pop … music for an airport lounge when wait is hopefully not too long.

I love him

English and French language versions of, quite frankly, my favorite album of the year that it was released. Chris found Christine and the Queens (and its focal point, Héloïse Letissier) at peak form, bending pop music to its absolute will with sheer technical ability and unmistakable brilliance in cultivating emotions from within. I love this album, I have great memories attached to this. It's nice to once again come across such wonderful sounds that stick to you and endears you to the point to going back to it again and again. Long may Chris reign!

Why would someone recreate soulless 80s synth-pop in 2018? And why is this on a list of must-hear albums?

This was released in 2018?! It sounds straight out of '88. Why are we going backwards with this Michael/Janet Jackson wannabe nonsense? Music has progressed past these garbage synths and trash drum machine sounds. I'm sorry. I have no patience for this pseudo-retro bullshit.

Only listened to the French half, because I'm not listening to the same album twice in a row and because I felt silly today. Bullshit music. Generic radio pop. Zero unique or interesting ideas. A complete waste of time that felt like the audio equivalent of drowning in mud.

no

This is a really nice album. I love the music, love Chris’ voice, love the French and English. Love it all! Wonderful discovery.

I had high hopes after hearing "Girlfriend." The level of production is squeaky clean the entire way through and sounds like a French Lorde/Tegan and Sara/SOPHIE. I liked that this album featured both English and French versions, which is something I would like to see more often from multi-lingual artists. Impressive, but it doesn't keep it's momentum the whole way through enough to hold my attention the whole time.

bilingual haim

This hits right in the Tegan and Sara spot for me. I'd be shocked if Tegan and Sara weren't aware of and fans of Chris. I think I prefer the french versions, but the English versions are great too. Makes me want to smoke a cigarette.

Didn't do much for me. Sounds like a one hit wonder from the 80s, but it was only released a few years ago. The French version does sound a little better than the English version.

While the French version is better, this album has no real redeeming qualities. It's not bad per se but it's the very definition of generic and even artificial (as in lacking soul). An 80s wanna-be vibe albeit with a better production sound. Been there done that.

9/10 not quite goat but very very good. Listened to the English side.

Pre-listening thoughts: don’t wanna get my hopes too high but POP! 2018! Eek! Modern music and it’s POP!!! There is not enough pop on this list I am so happy I finally got a queer pop album YIPEE!!! Also let me just say the user reviews are generally negative which to me is a good sign 😭 they hate pop but…! Post/during listening thoughts: oh this is for ME. I am such a pop girly it’s not even funny. The melodies, production, and vocals are just all so punchy and exciting. It’s reallyyyy nice to have something modern on here. This is also something I don’t think I would’ve listened to on my own like I had no clue who Christine and the Queens was before this moment. Sort of like French Marina and the Diamonds or Tegan and Sara or HAIM… the list goes on, and that is why this is right up my alley. I can feel my soul healing over from the 70s rock excess 10/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: me personally yes. Like I’ve become a fan. I think more people should open themselves up to pop music as well and this is a great album to do so with Fav tracks: literally all of them. Not one skip on this album. The Walker is my personal favorite though Least fav tracks: none

French pop. I didn’t expect to like this but I really did! It was super catchy and the songs had a good way of keeping you guessing. One song might have a killer bass line and another with an interesting keyboard. Even though it was pop, it felt complex, but still easy to listen to.

"I am done with belonging." An artist I'd heard of often but had never listened to. After the first few songs, I was strapped in. It's a generous, vulnerable, and tough-as-nails serving of French pop; funk-flavored and well-written, confident, and full of momentum. Highlights: Comme si, The walker, 5 dollars, What's-her-face, Feel so good, Make some sense

Another blessing from the album gods to have this generated within my first 50 albums. This is one of my favorite artists of all time; I'm a massive fan. His music has helped me understand myself profoundly. And it's otherworldly, especially his latest release, Paranoia, Angels, True Love, which is an underrated masterpiece. I highly recommend the KEXP performance from 2019, particularly Doesn't Matter, the 4th track on this album. He accesses such raw emotion, it's awe-inspiring. "Run if you stole a shard of sunlight" I was happy to give my vinyl another spin for this one, and Chris is also in my top Spotify artists every year. My favorites are Doesn't matter, The walker, Goya soda, The Stranger, and What's-her-face, but absolutely 0 skips.

Llegué a esta artista hace unos años atrás, en pandemia. Ahí empecé a redescubrir el pop hecho por mujeres y disidencias sexuales y, dentro de todo lo que escuché por recomendación de una influencer argenta, fue el pop queer. Esto fue algo de lo que más me gustó. Me sorprendió cómo Chris tiene una búsqueda que excede lo musical. Jugada en su estética, en el cambio de su identidad sexual, sus letras, sus videoclips, me dio a entender que muchas veces éste género es más vanguardista que el rock.

finally music for gay people

I had never even heard of this band before. And I start listening to it and I'm like what the hell is this French lesbian R&B?! And then after while I'm like this is some damn good French lesbian r&b! A keeper and a sharer

I've been meaning to listen to this record in full since 2019 when I discovered them, because of their feature on Charli XCX's 2019 song "Gone". I heard a few songs from the project before this full listen, so I knew I was going to like it. In full, it definitely matched my expectations. I think this is a perfect pop record.

This one didn't do much for me. But I've never been into pop music. I went for the French version. I like to hear music in different languages than my own.

All killer no filler!

Amazing find. Great French pop.

Brilliant stuff, engaging and poppy. 5 stars

Would listen again

I honestly cannot day why, precisely, this album landed so well with me. Maybe it was my mood. Bit the poppy, sultry, dark, multilingual qualities all sorta worked t9gether to make me really dig this. Another day, another time, it may have fared worse.

Goya Soda was a favorite

I really found this pleasant to listen to, but I really could not follow the meaning of the lyrics even when reading along. Definitely something lost in translation for me.

Very fun in English and in French.

I discovered Christine and the Queens a few years back on spotify and fell in love. She has become an absolute favourite of mine and it was a delight to have to listen to this album again. I'm really looking forward to see where her career takes her.

Great french pop! Worth putting in my heavy rotation!

so amazing

ici ça kiffe

Chris I’m aware of a few of Christine & The Queens songs, as he is a bit of a 6 Music darling and I love Girlfriend, but I’ve never ventured into one of his albums. I really liked the French language version, I think the vocals sound better in his native tongue, but the mixed English/French version is, obviously, easier to understand and much more accessible. Comme Si is kind of what I’d expected from being familiar with Girlfriend, a very 80s MJ influenced synth pop song, with the keyboard bass, disco-ish guitar and electronic drum kit sound. Great opener. Girlfriend is still excellent, a brilliant bit of 80s revisionism, very catchy with a great hook and sound. I really like the verse melody on The Walker and its simple arrangement is very nice. Doesn’t Matter, while fine, doesn’t quite elevate itself from its 80s derivative-nes in the way the other songs do 5 Dollars is great though, the melody and the piano work really well together. Goya Soda is excellent as well, I love the ‘big’ synth riff and it has a great atmosphere and melody. Very nice track. Damn (What Must a Woman Do) is another good track, the synth riff is hypnotic, although it's probably missing a catchier chorus. What’s Her Face feels like rather generic 2010s synth pop, too close to the likes of Lorde, pulling the album out of its largely successful 80s groove. Feel So Good is a return to form, a nice modernised 80s pop song. Make Some Sense is excellent though, I can’t place what the synth line reminds me of, but it’s a big 80s song. Anyway it’s a great atmosphere with a nice floating and delicate vocal. The Stranger really grew on me, the halting synth pattern and very 80s percussion is great and another really good vocal It’s kind of what I expected that Lorde album to be, but better and much more listenable - this is superior modern 80s influenced synth pop, with some great hooks and more substance than the obvious inspirations might indicate. Her take and observations on how he is perceived and how she sees her own gender is really interesting and makes for some great music. It’s right on the boundary of 3 and 4, but looking back at what I’ve written above there are more songs I liked than not, so I’ll go 4. 🤴🤴🤴🤴 Playlist submission: Girlfriend

My kind of vibe! Some pop comes across as shallow. And I'm ok with that. But Christine and the Queens has depth in his pop sound. Maybe I'm a sucker for the euro vibe and the gender fluidity but I love the electronic sounds and the heavy accent.

Shout out to my wife for playing this album incessantly

Day 28 of listening to 1001 albums, one day at a time. It’s pretty interesting how this album jumps from this seductive tone to a pretty strong and powerful tone. This album really stands out with the lyrics. Truly I don’t think there is a single song that is lacking lyrically. The walker talking about domestic violence and 5 dollars talking about buying love. It’s a pretty good and a great listen with sharp lyrics.

Excellent electro-funk pop record. I wore this one out pretty quickly when it came out and then I kind of forgot about it mainly because it was released around the same time as Robyn’s classic, Honey and for me this album got overshadowed by it. I’m glad this project got me to revisit it though. With the exception of DāM FunK’s additional production on “Girlfriend” this album was self produced remarkably by Chris. There’s plenty of nostalgia sprinkled in the music but it doesn’t feel like a cheap gimmick and it’s balanced with modern pop elements giving it a timeless sound. Chris’ emotive, theatrical and heartfelt vocal delivery demonstrates precision and control while his lyrics show a poetic defiance against the typical pop parameters. On this listen I picked up on some phrasing similarities with Caroline Polachek and Michael Jackson, something I didn’t notice before. Every nuance in his performance seems meticulously calculated and deliberate, yielding huge pay offs for the listener. Definitely a must listen for anyone who loves pop music like I do. I’m leaning 3.75 on this one.

I like the music and the vocals a really good album.

Kuuntelin patonkiversion. Positiivinen yllätys, tyyliltään aika kaukana omilla soittolistoillani pyörivästä musasta.

I like this album but why is this on this list?

good queer euro pop! I think it was ahead of its time, just now it seems other artists are coming out with stuff like this

A true leap in talent, production and lyrical prowess. Thoroughly enjoy her pop stardom in both the English and French versions.

Nice album

I've never heard of this band, but I really liked the vibe of the album. It had an 80's electronic feel to it, good stuff.

That was a vibe. I like her voice and the synths

NOTE: This is one basically one album, but recorded in both English and French with some track difference. It is streamed as a single work, so unclear on which I Must Hear Before I Die. I'm reviewing them together. A suave and powerful pop record that sounds decent in English, but phenomenal in French. Christine and the Queens belts incredible vocal lines and murmurs softer melodies over a dynamic mix of retro electronic and disco sounds mixed into modern piano and beat production. Songs are fresh and captivating, and the album has a cohesive, punchy flavor that travels well on upbeat and downbeat tracks. I initially approached this work with trepidation, given the hour and a half runtime, but began to comprehend once I was halfway through the French recording. I understand why these two are lumped together on streaming services, given the difference in language and track listing, but the albums are close enough that it's difficult to conceive them as a continuous work. I did enjoy the English recording, but the album(s) really came alive in the French language. Christine and the Queens has a wonderful flow and phrasing style in her native language, and though I don't speak French, I much preferred that version. Still, there's a track on the English version that I liked that isn't on the French version, so I've included it on my stand outs too. Overall, a great listen, just wish I had been more prepared of the meta of the record, a fault not of the artist. Stand out tracks include "Damn, dis-moi", "La marcheuse", "5 dols", "Follarse", "Feel so good", and "Les yeux mouillés".

"Chris" by Christine and the Queens earns a solid 4/5 rating for its bold experimentation and infectious energy. The album showcases Christine's artistic growth, blending pop, electronic, and R&B elements into a cohesive and captivating sound. Tracks like "Girlfriend" and "Doesn't Matter" are standout examples of Christine's ability to craft catchy hooks and poignant lyrics. The production is slick and modern, adding layers of depth to each song. While some tracks may not hit as hard as others, "Chris" remains a strong and enjoyable listen from start to finish. Christine's unique voice and innovative approach to pop music make "Chris" a standout album in her discography.

How did I not know this existed? It loses steam toward the back half of each disc, but still, I really love it.

Again, off-beat synth pop is basically my jam. I dig this

Above average pop album; a bit reminiscent of the 80s. Nice. 3.5/5

incredibly fun and poppy, easy to listen to, and creatively composed electronic pop that adds fun twists to prevent it from seeming stale and boring.

Such strong Michael Jackson vibes listening to this album. The production values are pristine Christine. I appreciated the English/French versions of all the songs. Just a stunning album, really.

Tres bien. C'est un album quatre etoiles.

Pop, dance, a veces chill out. Me ha gustado. Las canciones en francés le dan un plus. Un 4.

I had never heard of Christine and was ready to dislike this album after reading the summary, but was very pleasantly surprised! I will definitely be playing more of this in the future.

Will always love this album!!!

Better than expected

Well produced and sophisticated pop. Not normally something that would interest me, but I really enjoyed a few tracks here, especially “What’s-her-face”/“Machin-chose”. Really excellent song.

Not bad, but not my kind of album. I prefer the French versions of the songs generally. One and a half hours is just too long for an album like this however.

Really nice. I found this unexpectedly satisfying to lightly listen to. I could definitely spend more time listening to it. I found online reviews of it surprisingly full of praise, and on reading them, I can understand the depts to explore in this, initially superficially joyous, but subsequently quite intimate and explorative. As a friend says, I want to listen again with my ears on. 3 stars, maybe 4, let's go three for now.

It was alright.

Good modern pop but the same songs in different languages was annoying.

Not bad

French version >>>> English version

nothing spectacular and her voice is a bit irritating at times

Didn’t really touch me…interesting concept, and well executed and produced…but it didn’t touch me

# Playlist track - Damn, dis-moi # Notes - Starts out with a mediocre dance ballad. -1 - I notice there's 1:30 hour of this and immediately despair. - It's some kind of watered down La Roux. -2. - Album is not bad, but it's bland. It sets itself on a lukewarm tone and never deviates from it.

Kids dig it, one supposes, but one finds nothing much of interest or substance. It's as stylish as oversharing can be, one supposes. And is one supposed to be impressed that it's bilingual?

Had high hopes for this one but it didn't live up to them sadly.

👍🏻

Liked it a lot more than I thought I was going to based on some of the reviews. 3/5

First listen Saved 5/11 Top track: Girlfriend

Not bad. Not spectacular, but not bad.

Hauskaa on, kun levy on kahdella kielellä. Tyylipuhdasta ja hyväntuulista, mietittyä popia (aika indie). Harmi, että jää vähän ns. piippuun, hitusen liian vaisuksi vaikka ainesta on vaikka mihin, ollaan ihan rajalla onnistua tosi tykisti. Ehkä liika tyylikkyys tekee sen efektin?

Electro pop, pretty laid back

#155. The name Christine and the Queens implies there's at least three people, but it seems it's only one person [that looks like 1997 Johnny Depp] whose name isn't even Christine. It's pretty good, I'd say, for dance pop, but that's not really a genre I know or care too much about. 3/5: decent

Not bad fun album

Soothing to listen to.

liked it better than i expected, but preferred the 2nd disc (French version). 3.1/5

A really fun 80s throwback album that’s bristling with bangers, but a bit inconsistent upon relistening. I don’t think it has quite the same impact Chaleur humaine did, and in hindsight it lacks the emotional depth Redcar has now given us with La vita nuova and Paranoïa

Listedned to the french version and then some of the English. Catchy but didn't immediately draw me in. Maybe try another listen some time.

Pas mal