Chris

Impressive production. Shame about the music.

More boring than an evening with Celia

Nah

It was alright, but didn’t quite get me. Lost in the 80s vibes that aren’t my thing. A couple good songs, but I think the English transition looses something.

Really great! I enjoyed this quite a lot.

Really blew me away, most songs were great, the French version was better of course. The singing is great tbh I love thos record.

Not bad, but not really to my taste. I didn't realize I initially was listening to the double album of both English and French versions, but the French version was my preference. I think it is the same effect as watching a sub vs dub, where when you aren't picking up small surprising bits of audio you didn't expect, you will smooth over any imperfections because you don't notice them. A solid background album for the right audience.

It’s fun but also a bit esc vibes

It's okay, better in French though

shite

A nice voice and cool beats. If I knew the second disc was the same songs again in french, I think I would have listened to that one instead.

With my promise to myself to listen to at least the first minute of each song, I got through this in 11 minutes with minimal trauma. This just isn't the type of music I like.

Brand new listening, never heard this before but it's a hip, satisfying pop album. 4/5

Christine & The Queens was Len’s collective noun for wives 2-6. 2.4 5. 5 dollars

Its pretty good. Some slick poppy tastyness here and there. Some tracks feel a little aimless though

3/10

There’s no doubting the visceral outpouring of anger, vitality and sexuality on this album lyrically. Even the professional critics can’t fail to spot it, which is why it tends to be what they talk about, so no need for me to. What gets discussed much less is the music as music. Here’s why: It’s danceable synth pop, always hooky, often retro and if you like that kind of thing you like the album and if you don’t you don’t. The two stars are for the lyrics.

We enjoyed this: a mixture of atmospheric and boppy.

French pop music. Alright. It reminds me a lot of late 80's early 90's pop. It's not all in French though. I expected to not understand, that's different. I enjoy their voice, the music is meh. I swear it's all electronic keyboards and drum machines. Goya Soda is....something. It's not a bad album but it's not for me, has some really interesting lyrics, but overall I'm not a pop music person.

I don't see why this should be on the list

Glatt og profesjonell

The tribute to Early Eighties synthesizer music was interesting. It’s just too bad that the lyrics were boring. The Wiki article is written about the artist was more engaging than the songs. If you listen to the English version of the album, you do not need to listen to the French version. They are same songs.

Kind of good

It was okay, but I really didn't need an hour and a half of it.

Not bad, just not my personal taste. There was not one song that stuck with me.

Fun, solid pop album. Will revisit

When I saw that this album had 23 songs, I was immediately concerned about it keeping my attention. Fortunately, this was hardly an issue. Firstly, the first half of the album is in English and the second half is the same songs in French. Secondly, Rahim's voice was so clear and gorgeous, and I was thoroughly entertained and impressed by his talent. There is a back and forth between English and French lyrics that I really enjoyed as I am a big fan of French pop artists. The lyrics were great, and I was pretty impressed with Rahim as an artist. Where this lost some points for me was in the music. It was good, but electronic beats aren't really my preference in most cases.

My guess as to why this has such a low rating is that there is a female singer and it’s Queer as hell. This gave off the same vibe as Le Tigre, the Knife and Peaches.

Loved it, keep getting the songs in my head, do not know why people are so down on this

2018 French pop sounds alot like 1980s American pop. But that’s not a bad thing! Still, i can’t give full credit when you’re copying off of a 30 year old paper 3.5

Jag lyssnade den här skivan på engelska. Helt kivoga melodier men int desstu vidare

A very modern pop/rock record

Thought this was very pleasant throughout. Nice sounding songs well produced and good vocals.

4.2 Wow. I imagine that's what it was like to hear Off The Wall or something when it came out - Goya Soda in particular gave me massive MJ vibes, in a good way. Brilliant production, so 80s and so fresh at the same time. Lovely vocals. My only gripe is it really tails off in the second half after Goya Soda - 4 of the first 6 are absolute belters, the last 5 fall flat even after several listens. Maybe it'll win be round, but due to Side B it's ending up as a very good, but not phenomenal album

???

Oh, Chris. When music was still enjoyable, uplifting and engaging. Will always remain a favourite. Maybe one day Rahim will get back to making awesome songs again.

the book doesn't go to 2018. it barely goes past 2000, so what in the fresh hell is this absolute dogshit record? is this website taking the piss? is this the recommendation of someone who finished the list? if so, curse them for foisting this trash upon my consciousness. the world is awful enough as it is.

Good

Nice Sunday morning listen

Ok

Just kinda faded into the background for me. Would be a 3 star but I’m docking it 1 because I don’t need 2 versions of each song on a record. Make a French record or make an English record. Don’t need both together.

dance pop album that perfectly blends the old with the new, a heavy 80s dancehall sound is done right and doesn't sound cliché at all. seriously, if someone put this on an 8 track cassette and said it was some forgotten pop diva, i would believe them. i listened to the english release, i assume the french version is on an near-identical level of how good it sounds. the very dreamy and positive harmonies, complex themes and near-perfect contemporary pop energy makes this album enjoyable every second of the way. this album is sexy, stylish, and holds so much merit.

For transparency, I only listened to disc one of this album, as disc two has the same tracklist as disc one, except sung entirely in French. Rahim Redcar, the artist formerly known as Christine and the Queens, is someone I started hearing singles from this past year. They're a French singer-songwriter who started out playing piano at the age of four before expanding into classical dance and modern jazz, then found their identity in queercoded experimental pop music influenced by the likes of Michael Jackson and Kate Bush. Make no mistake, this second album of theirs, Chris, is written with the intent of breaking gender norms and expanding one's understanding of sexuality. Whether it's the addressing of masculinity of "Girlfriend", calling out the domestic abusers on "The Walker", the one-sided nature that relationships can fall into on "Doesn't Matter", or the homage to the sex worker on "5 dollars", there's a fair amount of reflection on past trauma as Rahim searches for what truly pleases them in this life without prejudice. Rahim passionately delivers these lyrics in their breathy lower register, blending French and English. This was done over the liquid production they achieved with co-producer Cole M.G.N., with the supple bass, light keyboard motifs, and drum machine that feel 80s-inspired in the arrangement. I mentioned Michael Jackson earlier as an influence, and it is apparent that Bad and Dangerous are close sonic comparisons. There are a few deviations, such as the spacious "What's-her-face" with the subtle pedal steel in the background, but for the most part, this album is locked into a certain throwback style. It's certainly a good fit for them, yet I can't help but feel there was a desire to take this to the next step, make the sound their own instead of staying indebted to the past. A song like "Feel so good" with the new jack swing rhythm and breaking glass sounding effect blares out what period its influence came from. I still enjoyed Chris, as it is a good throwback-sounding record from an artist continually exploring and bending gender and societal norms in their music.

Some good tracks on this, although didn't like the ones in French. Think I saw at Glasto a few years back. Was nice to hear something more modern.

There's almost enough synthesizer and drum machine to convince me this is a demo tape for the Eurovision tryouts.

My first thought of this album is that it kind of sounds like it would be playing quietly in the background of a semi-upscale hotel lobby check-in and lounge area on a weekday. It's not exactly challenging in any way and it's easy to sort of tune out what the lyrics are saying. And that's a shame because I actually like the lyrics for the most part. I don't really like the sort of 'electronic beats with singing on the top' style of music in general and this one didn't do anything to sway my opinion there. I feel like the English version and then the French version is too much. I would prefer to just have the French version, it seems more genuine somehow. This record was kind of just middle of the road - didn't love it, didn't hate it. Probably won't listen again or seek out anything else that he has done. 2.5/5

didn’t finish this one. wasn’t really my vibe

V pohode popík.

Nothing special, sounds like a lot of other synth pop of that era.

first time hearing it in english and i felt like i was in an insane parallel universe

4/5

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.

ne kbecht ass

Tbf I only listened to the first 4 songs but it didn’t capture enough attention to keep me going. 1/10

Mist!

Just not good

I don't get pop music and this is the perfect example of why. I just don't understand what anybody gets from stuff like this. I always thought music (or any artform) should at least stir up some emotion or feelings in the listener. Sadly, this has all the raw energy of a piece of wet tissue.

I've been pretty disappointed with the 2000s inclusions on this list, but the 2010s have somehow been an even more dismal year. This is my fifth 2010er after Kiwanuka, Golden Hour, Modern Kosmology and American Dream. Nothing but a whole lot of moderate tunes and dicking around, which I suppose is congruent with the existential quandaries of modern, postmodern reality, ya dig? Uhh, yeah. Yet another nowhere album. Dare I say that this album feels like a WOKE🗿🗿🗿🗿D🗿E🗿I🗿inc🗿🗿🗿lusio🗿🗿🗿🗿n🗿🗿🗿🗿🗿🗿🗿🗿 https://youtu.be/Oc7Cin_87H4 https://youtu.be/Oc7Cin_87H4 https://youtu.be/Oc7Cin_87H4. There's absolutely nothing remarkable about this album other than that the singer is twans. I guess this album also belongs to the time where every musician was jerking off to the 80s, but rehashing another genre of music isn't worthy of immortalisation on this vewy serious list that has NO duds whatsoever. This music is alright on the surface and is pleasant enough to listen to, but peek underneath the veneer of competence and there is absolutely nothing going on. The instrumentals are minimal and arrhythmic, which squanders whatever potential that the better instrumentation choices had. The vocal performances are decent and showcase a good display of vocal range, but are ultimately unremarkable. I came away with a bad taste (sound) in my mouth (ears)

Mid French electro pop

The Michael Jackson influence is VERY strong here. But I dont think it reaches his heights - it's pleasant and ok to listen to. I'm torn on what to give this. 3 means it ok, but I wouldnt listen again. 4 means I would listen again.

# Album Name: Chris # Artist: Christine and the queens # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: This aint no daft punk. Very average french electro pop straight from the 80s wannabee draw. Very underwhelming # Top Tunes: None # Would I listen to it again? No

Ooh la la!

The same boring "Poppy" sound the entire time, with no unique instrumental play, or beats. Quite possibly one of the worst albums I've ever heard in my life. Favorite Track: "Follarse".

Good background music

Better than expected but not my style of tunes

Pretty decent, just not really my style tbh. The Stranger slaps tho.

This electric pop french album from 2018 was unexpected. It was fine but not my style. I think there is some interesting components of the intersection of pop, RnB, electronic and gender/sexual identity.

It's a bit like tame Prince, I really tried as there's a song or two I know by them that I really like. But one track led into another without much difference very bland before I knew it I was on the French side of the album thinking "is this the same song again?" This time it actually was!

The Good: Is it an album named after the singer? The Bad: Who is the singer? The Ugly: Me still not understanding where we are heading… If someone would have asked me when this album was published, I would have told them late ‘80s to early ‘90s pop styled RnB. I would have put money down on it. And, to make matters worse, I would have said that, though it isn’t my cup of tea, it sounds okay. 3 Decades later, this album launches… and to make matters more interesting, it seems that the our entrepid author of the 1001 list deems it more than good enough to be added to his list… why? What makes this album so important that we need to hear it before we die? If an artist would come out with a new evergreen style album today, would we need to listen to it? Sure, if this album would have made some kind of massive change for a generation, it has the right to be on this list… but I had never heard of this damn album… So, sorry Chris, I guess I won’t be invited to your next birthday party… 1*

I listened to both the English and then French versions of this record. At the end of the day this is pretty boring and uninspired pop music (to my ears at least). I think I prefer the French version to the English because it lends it at least the notion that it might be slightly more interesting than it is. But this is not it.

Didn’t need to hear this before I died.

Derivative and kind of forgettable.

This was an interesting discovery. Very poppy, a bit too poppy for my overall liking. I appreciated the English and French versions of the songs. It was quite listenable although nothing in particular stood out to me.

This was not a bad listening experience although it was waaaay too long. But I have no clue why it was on this list. There's nothing new here. Madonna did a lot of this 40 years ago. 2 stars. 3 for listenability cause it wasn't bad by any means. But a 1 for its stature and inclusion on this list.

french 2010's gay pop???? kinda iconic ngl, love the vibes but didn't fully hit the marks compared to some of my other goats in the genre. still a great choice for the 1001

It was kind of boring, it sounded like a generic pop album about themselves. Nothing was redeeming about that album, and I felt like I was tuning out. This is definitely someone else's cup of tea and I hope they enjoy this French Queer pop album, but not for me.

Looooooooooooooooooooooong

50% English, 50% French. 110% sh*te.

It’s not for me

Possibly my favourite French transgender electro funk album of the 2010s

Electro Euro Pop. Elevator music. Instantly forgettable.

Dit klinkt alsof het gemaakt is met Garage Band.

This album does have its qualities, and some of the songs are quite easy on the ear. But they are not very interesting. La Marcheuse is the best of the bunch, but there are no real highlights

7.5/10 Fave treack: Goya Soda

No

No idea what was remotely important to hear. Bog standard pop that doesn’t even have the good sense to be catchy. I keep waiting for a hook or something fun, but it’s just pop with all the stupid fun parts, that supposedly make pop worth listening to, sucked out of it.

Ouarf, c’est genre. Ok, je connais tu que je le sais sur la radio. Moi? Non non non, pas top… tu sais? Voir et entendre, c’est top notch sur la note, sans voir la réponse.

I don't want to say this album is bad, but I would definitely never listen to it again.

Voice is like Ellie Goulding so a good singing voice. Sorry, was just a bit bored listening to it. Lets say 2.5 rounded down to 2; but absolutely not rounded up to 3.

Pretty crappy, pre-packaged, cliché-driven, ultra-compressed, dime-a-dozen 2010s pop. 1.0/5.0: Embarrassing

pathetic attempt at making songs people want to hear

New artist to me but didn’t have a bad sound in my opinion, better than average.

It was fun having the album in french as well as english. But ultimately nothing really grabbed me. It was decent music, just nothing I am eager to revisit.

Fun, enjoyable, interesting pop music. Apparently not popular on this site, but I really liked it.

I get it, just not for me.

Interesting pop, albeit a bit indiscernible from the rest of pop. Still this was fun and the talent is apparent.

Poop

Just a pretty standard pop album, don't really have a whole lot to say about this one.

Some of the vocals throughout this remind me a lot of Caroline Polachek. It actually feels like Caroline Polachek was heavily inspired by this album/artist which is cool. I also really like the production on this album. This isn't really my vibe but for queer electronic pop, this feels really great and important.

This was fun euro dance pop! Not something I gravitate towards, but definitely enjoyable. I like how a lot of it was minor key or kind of intense and progressing. This was fun!

This is all very boring and uninspired, worse I had listen to the same songs again in french hoping it was more interesting. It wasn't. Way better and more important things were happening in 2018 4/10

Didn’t hate it, but didn’t friend anything interesting in it either

Blind album and artist. Bad pop bad album. Pass. Not repulsive but not that good.

Musically this was really good, exactly the sort of thing I love discovering. I'm surprised I had no awareness of this at all. I read the wikipedia page for the album and then clicked on to the 'artist' page - fuck me, that is depressing, wish I'd remained ignorant to all that bollocks. Tbh, identify as whatever the fuck you want, it makes no difference to me - but I automatically think people like that are just trying too hard to be edgy and current, know what I mean? It's probably somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, musically closer to 4 - but all the bollocks about pronouns and identities makes me round down to 3.

This improved immensely once I switched to the French version. It’s pretty decent pop music. Definitely influenced by Michael Jackson. But the artist is a good singer, the music is upbeat and it’s nicely made. Not innovative. Just fine.

This had some good songs on it but all in all, I’m cool.

I don't know when I would put this on. It's not compelling enough for me to want to listen to intently, but it's also not driving enough for me to want as ambient background. It's like - if I want to zone out I could put this on and not pay attention to anything around me, including the music. That may be a little harsh - a couple tracks do light up a little bit, but just not enough throughout the album as a whole.

This is…. Totally uninteresting electropop?

French justin timberlake and Haim vibes

I wasn't that bothered about this. Not sure why it has such critical acclaim. I thought it was dull and just didn't care that much

This is an absolute banger. It's a long album but every track pops. The drums are really good on each track and really give them all depth, on some tracks there's not a lot happening but it has such a vibe.

Brilliant, beautiful, near-perfect. So cool.

Why is this here? Is it to combat accusations of the list being too anglophone centric? It’s just a standard and pretty dated pop album. Not a particularly good one at that. One star.

Liked the production but English lyrics were pretty bad

Liked the English versions more than the French ones. Overall really liked the energy and sound. I was pleasantly surprised and woke up the next with one song stuck in my head even

4 songs in and I'm done. Then I look and see TWO DISCS? TWENTY-THREE songs? Nope!

At least it's musical? Sadly, the lack of definition makes the whole thing muddy and fine for blending into the background, but never edgy or clear enough to stand on its own, out front.

I love it. I came across Christine and the Queens about a year ago. Finally, I listened to the whole album. You have to be in the right mood for it but I mostly am.

This album went on for three hours and then CD 2 started... 2/5

This isn’t really my preferred genre of music, so I need to approach it with more objectivity. That said, I actually enjoyed a few tracks, like ‘Goya Soda’ and ‘Doesn't Matter.’ However, I did find myself skipping a few others. I'm going 3 because I did put a song on one of my playlists.

Some decent grooves but mostly run of the mill pop. I understand and support what’s being communicated but musically it’s just not great. And stop it with the 2 disc releases.

So generic and boring. Maybe i should have listened to it in french.

I tortured myself by listening to both the French and English versions of this album, and I honestly couldn't really tell a difference. Every song is exactly the same as the next and all of it is boring as shit.

2.5 stars i wish i liked this more coming from a queer trans artist like Chris. i generally struggle to enjoy 80s revival music and this is really part of that category for me. i liked listening to it in french, and 5 dols is my favorite. however, the album starts to feel redundant. there’s so much stuff that could’ve been more experimental. that’s all! it’s all right

I saw the album cover and said "oh no." It's really not bad though if you don't mind listening to music from the Sims. I got through two songs. 4/10 (2/5)

catchy pop fluff.

Inoffensive and tedious, I managed to inadvertently tune this out while listening.

Why do something conceptual half-arsedly? The album as a whole feels like a very old-school French musician is trying to pretend to be American but is too afraid to go all the way. The background tracks sound like something Céline Dion did better years ago and the constant moaning into the microphone is not something I enjoy. I don't rate it. I don't understand why they've made 2 discs with exactly (but no I mean _exactly_) the same music on it but just sung in a different language. What would have been interesting could maybe have been if the English version had backing of what typically appeals to a French audience and vice versa (see what I did there?) I didn't make it through as I didn't fancy listening to exactly the same album twice and as per my rating system, that's automatically one star.

took me a second to realize that the b - side is essentially the same set but in French but even funnier to me is that a b-side was made for this... it's 80's synth pop with some ok hooks but musically it's somewhat commendable and nothing groundbreaking or in other words not worthy of being on this list? This is the most recent album I've been drawn and to be honest as someone who doesn't listen to much modern music, it did make me laugh that the first "modern" album I got was essentially an 80's homage album (not that I like 80's music much)

This album was a super pleasant surprise! I had heard the name Christine and the Queens before, but never listened to them. My bad. I really liked this album a lot. Slots right in next to HAIM and Yumi Zouma. A treat.

A fantastic synth-pop album from one of contemporary France’s leading innovators. Their lyricism in French is indeed superior to that in English, but both are interesting and nuanced. The production is highly commendable, with clear homages to the ‘80s while simultaneously sounding fresh (not easy to balance and pull off). A variety of themes are covered, mainly focussing on the relationships between sex (both meanings), gender and power. 10/10

7/10 Favorite Tracks: Comme Si, What's-her-face Least Favorite Tracks: Goya Soda

Franse en engels gemixt, vond het echt leuk. Lekker fris ook met de simpele housebeats eronder

Catchy pop tunes with attitude.

A very interesting record that I never listened too. I really enjoy the atmosphere here and her voice fits perfect. Maybe it’s a bit too long but not much.

Couldn’t listen to this one. Did my best but had to bail. Really awful music

This really didn't need to be a double album. There was enough merde in the first half.

not for me

I liked it pretty well at first, but it kinda ran long and got a bit monotonous. Overall, kinda liked it. Prolly wouldn't listen again.

Behaglig pop men bara en svagare version av Haim.

I like some of Christine and the Queens' stuff, but I found this album to be a bit samey and boring.

Surprisingly good

Didn’t rate this at all, all sounded the same

On the surface, it has everything I usually like in pop: 80s vibes/synths, catchy hooks, interesting vocals. But I dunno. When it's great it's great, and when it isn't I found myself struggling to stay engaged. I think it's worth a listen for certain pop fans, but definitely not an album you need to hear before you die.

Album 677 of 1001 Christine and the Queens - Chris (2018) Rating : 2 / 5 French Pop Music. Wasn't as bad as I anticipated. Pretty recent album. Not sure why it would even be included in this list. At first I thought it was a young Johnny Depp on the cover.

Fun French electro pop.

A few songs were ok

Love this

Kein Plan warum das Album dabei ist. Wirkt wie 0815 pop. Und bei Alben die so jung sind, dass ich sie bewusst mitbekommen habe/könnte fehlt dann noch Einsicht die als Zeit-Phänomen zu werten. Deshalb -1 Punkt auf die 3/5 die ich geben würde.

awesome

Bastante estimulante primera escucha. Por la mitad del disco empieza a bajar mucho. Me parece que le mola michael jackson

Pretty fucking solid album. I enjoyed way too much i think

I’d give it 2.5 but that’s not an option so I’ll be nice and round up to 3

oof. Let AI do 80's retro

tæplega markhópurinn. er rafpopp og frekar einhæft. ekkert hræðilegt en ekkert spennandi.

Nope. Sounds like Madonna but not in the best way.

Originally I was going to give it a 2 and skip the French version but the playlist kept playing and the French version sounded better to me (maybe because I don’t understand it lol). I would put it as some kind of party background music but wouldn’t sit down and analyse it.

I knew Girlfriend already but that's far from the best track here. I liked both the English and French versions: 80s pop recreated with quality with existential lyrics.

не зашло

I liked the song Tilted that showed up on another album, but all this? meh.

I love Chris!

Prefer his first album, very good live!

During first song I was sure it wil be nightmare but more I listen more I like it. Not my style but good for a radio

Not bad. This is the closest we've come so far to something I would listen to normally so it rates decently just because of that.

I feel like I get what this album is trying to do, I just didn't enjoy it all that much.

I get it—Rahim Redcar is, like, real cool. But this record hits like some slightly-above-average synthy pop music. Had it come out only ten years earlier I'd evaluate it differently, but on my first listen I don't feel like it's bringing a lot to the table in 2018.

Why is this on the list? Forgettable lightweight pop. I only made it thru 4 or 5 songs. If you want good French pop try Air (which is on this list) or Les Rita Mitsouko ( which isnt)

Production is pretty amazing on this. Music is...fine? It's alright. Not entirely sure why this specific album is on this list though.

После недельного погружения в аналоговый рай 60-х и 70-х, этот альбом с хорошими синтами и упругими битами — как возвращения в город после месяца в глухой таёжной деревне. Асфальт под ногами, небо не видно, но зато современный саунд ласкает слух. Музыка — истинный синти-поп с лёгким привкусом фанк-лихорадки 80-х. Звёзд с неба не хватает, но звучит добротно, как идеально собранный айфон: всё на своём месте, и чертовски приятно трогать. Продакшн здесь чист, богат и отполирован до блеска — как витрина дорогого бутика на Елисейских полях. Альбом двуязычный, но даже в английской версии Элоиза мастерски перескакивает с английского на французский и обратно. В какой-то момент это полностью размывает все границы, и ты вдруг понимаешь: языки здесь не для смысла — они для настроения, для шика. Вообще, «Chris» — это альбом про борьбу с самим собой, но без драматичной истерики. Это как гимн тому, чтобы быть странным, сексуальным и свободным в мире, который всё ещё любит запихивать людей в коробки. А Элоиза просто берёт и превращает эту коробку в танцпол.

what is this? Again no Weezer blue album but this?

Really enjoyed the production on this one, reminds me of Chic and Prince in places. The vocals are good, but I found some of the lyrics overly repetitive. For that reason, I preferred the French version, it allows me to focus more on the music. Overall enjoyable, but didn't really stick with me apart from the Girlfriend, Doesn't Matter and Goya Soda.

Ponderous angst and a general, unspecific dissatisfaction ground this record, perhaps a good fit for a generation being kicked in the liminals, but being too cool for catchy choruses pushes this well-machined pop into chore territory. Most sits in this awkward space of demanding focus while not offering enough to capture this close-listener. I’d rather just hear Paul Westerberg wail “look me in my eye/and tell me I’m satisfied” rather than this cold vague vibe. The better parts remind me of good Japanese City Pop I’ve heard, exceptions to an otherwise austere mood.

Much too long for what sounds like a mid-tier pop album from 1988, although the hilariously wonky over-earnest Frenglish lyrics provide comic relief throughout. "Girlfriend" is un petit banger, the rest didn't leave an impression. Oh, wait - the second disc is the same thing but in French! My literal definition of "superfluous"; merci pour giving me some time back.

French version 5/10 English version 4.5/10

Ok, I was a little intimidated seeing the hour and a half album length. At the turning point I clued in that the album was recorded in both French and English, which is kinda neat. I was somewhat familiar with Christine and the Queens from their wonderful contribution to the 2024 MGMT album. Chris is a really well produced synth pop album. There is a good variety to it though I wish they had a few livelier tracks, the moodiness was great though. Good stuff, great voice, excellent talent. 3.5 rounded up stars

A solid pop album with some enjoyable singing. Nothing really jumped out or rose to the top, but nothing was a miss either.

Enjoyable, but nothing special.

Listened it one time - ✅.

I really like her music, but i don't think this is her best work yet. Also 1.5h was a bit much

I suppose they could have been a very welcomed figure in the pop world for marginalized people, but musically speaking this just doesn't do anything for me.

Come on... Really?

I felt nothing.

Started with the English version which was not particularly engaging. Then switched to the french where the songs had a different feel, probably not understanding the lyrics,. The performance came across as more invested. Although the sound seemed to hark back to the eighties the production is more modern and suggests that it will still sound OK in thirty years time. Catchy enough for replay.

This is a pretty chill album. Almost immediately, it slipped into “background music” territory while I was getting on with things around the house, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s very pleasant—both in terms of the vocals and the smooth, synth-heavy melodies. At times, it even reminded me a little of The Weeknd in its mood and atmosphere. The version on Spotify includes both an English and a French disc. I stuck with the English version, partly out of curiosity, and partly because listening to the same album twice over ninety minutes felt like a bit of an endurance test I didn’t particularly need. The album’s commitment to an ’80s synth-pop aesthetic is clear, and while it taps into parts of that genre I enjoy, it also embraces some of the tropes I’m less fond of. The occasional spoken-word moments feel unnecessary, and there were times when it seemed like someone had told him he didn’t need to try every single setting on his keyboard. Overall, it’s a pleasant and easy listen, but one that rarely demands attention. I liked it well enough while it was on, but it didn’t leave much of a lasting impression. I’m settling on a 3/5, though if decimals were allowed, I’d probably nudge it closer to a 2.75. Standout Songs: Doesn’t Matter, 5 Dollars, What’s-Her-Face Score: 3/5

I enjoyed this! Will listen again.

Pop bastante berreta, tiene unos buenos arreglitos en algunos temas pero la mayoría son aburridos. Es ZAS con 10lts de soda. Banco el doble disco con los mismos temas en inglés y luego en francés.

Sensationalism for its own sake is so exhausting. Get you, performer. How have you not grown up yet?

The global reviews for this are unnecessarily harsh! That being said this is extremely my shit

I listened to the english version of this, and wow it was much better than expected. The production is amazing, I was listening to that most of the time. Gives me a CHVRCHES vibe. Was close to a 5 but a couple songs I didn't really care for, but still a nice album. I'l have to check out the french version sometime

Veldig poppete pop. Litt gøy, ganske ikkje min greie

Damn i could not get into this. I feel like there's a whole subgenre of artists just doing pop music in the same way huge pop stars do but they're just not as successful. Couldn't even finish it

Yes!!! Wonderful to have in 2 languages

I used to like a few Christine and the Queens songs back in the day. This is decent, but a little too poppy for my tastes. 3/5

Meh

This album was fine. It's VERY pop/synth heavy which is just not for me. Some of the beats are fun tho. I thought it was interesting how the 2nd disc was the same set of songs but in French. Real review.... 1.5. Liked Songs: "Doesn't matter" , "5 dollars" , "Make some sense"

liked songs: Comme Si, Girlfriend, Follarse, What's-her-face I broke up listening this album into two separate sessions, one for the English versions and one for French. I got a little bit of Michael Jackson, a little more Maggie Rogers, and a lot of influence from queer-associated acts from the 80s (Depeche Mode). I liked a handful of the songs, some stuck with me more than others. Interestingly, I don't think one version of the album was entirely better than the other; some songs I felt worked better in (what I assume is) the original French, and others I liked better in English. This was interesting enough for me to come back to some of the songs. Good vocals, great production. 3.25

An hour and a half of generic pop music. Her voice is fine and the production is great, but this was relatively torturous to try to get through. Felt like this was made by an advertising company.

Good luck trying to describe the artist or any pronouns here. I'll just say that Chris is a stellar pop record in either French or English and definitely left its' mark on the genre.

Listened to both the English and French version of Chris. Liked the English, loved the French. The artist is definitely more confident in the native tongue and it shows - it's simply just more charming and feels more complete.

Kinda standard fare euro-pop. Wasn’t super impressed.

Solid European pop. A great album for a semi-mellow party vibe.

Another one that's not a favorite. Poppy and French.

was expecting more! i love tilted era christine and the queens!

It was interesting, but quickly forgotten.

My thinking is that for an album to be a must listen within a decade of its release it needs to be an amazing album or have a similar story. This does neither. Maybe I'll return to it in 30 more years. If I'm alive. 1/5

Om jag ska försöka säga något positivt så var den franska sidan bäst.

How is this on here - not that its bad but... Some cool catchy songs - I really like the first one. great vocal melodies, but I just think there could have been much more - more experimentations as it falls quite flat at the end. Favorite songs: first one, doesn't matter, 5 dollars. Overall around 6/10

I'm surprised people are so scathing about this, I suspect some hefty bias from the covert art. Like any good record, it takes some listens to appreciate the arrangements.

Really good

The French Version is amaizng: 3.5/5

I am gonna go all the way back to sixth grade to express how I feel about this album. This shit is gay. Not gay as in homosexual, but gay as in faking an injury and calling timeout because you're about to get tagged in hide n' seek type of gay.

I really liked Tilted and their first album. Finding this album rather bland - with not much jumping out at me - especially the tracks in French which just wash overme as I have no idea what the songs are about. Was hoping to enjoy it more.

I really enjoyed some of the songs on the album. The vocals are impressive. I liked What's her face. She had some T-Swift vibes towards the end of the album.

This wasn't objectionable, but I fail to understand the importance or significance of this album. This was all just basic 80s style New Wave/Pop without anything new or special to me. I'm definitely not listening to both volumes either. The first was kind of a waste of my time. Again, not objectionable or bad, but definitely not significant Can't rate this 3 stars. It's just not...I dunno...important feeling

I listened to this while getting ready to go out this evening, and that was a perfect way to enjoy it, I think- only a couple of lyrics jumped out, and mostly I just relaxed into the drum machines and twinkling. Doesn’t Matter was my favourite, and I liked 5 dollars too. That run with Goya Soda was definitely my favourite stretch. Musically, I sort of see Chris as a more impressive La Roux, and the songs felt dated in sort of the same way as La Roux, a very 2010s approximation of 80s futurism. I initially thought this was a double album and was relieved to realise it was only the same songs twice, once in French and once in English. The songs already felt a little repetitive by the end of the eleven in English, and I wasn’t excited at the prospect of another eleven, which says something. 3.5 rounded to 4.

I wanted to like this more than I did in all honesty. It is 80s electronic esque pop which is always an enjoyable sound to listen to but I really am a huge fan of HAIM and to me, this was just a not as good version of them. I did really like Doesn't Matter but apart from that it all really merged a bit into one but maybe that is a nice thing for some albums? Where you just can have them on and they keep you feelng a little on the happy side whilst doing other things? Unfortunately though I won't be listening again idon't think.

I HATE HATE HATED This album; I can't believe this made the list. There were no redeeming qualities to it.

ganz nett, aber viel zu lang und nit soo special

Nobody notices when it runs in the background. Quite unspectacular

poppy

Resulta un tanto agotador escuchar la versión en inglés y luego en francés. Girlfriend es una Buena y pegajosa canción.

quite good! i wish the french version was listed first

Pretty good, pretty danceable pop. Didn’t particularly touch me and I am not sure what makes it something I “must” listen to. Not unimpressed - it sounds good and recording an album in two languages is a feat worth noting. Just not that blown away. I think including it is a bit unfair to it - not every album is hugely impactful and that’s fine. And if it is in a way that I don’t see, it might still be too early to tell.

Damn - this is pretty good It grew on me as the album went. It’s kinda fun, good to put on in the background but I don’t think I’d listen to it otherwise. I’m open to it though. I listened to some of the French version and now that I couldn’t understand the words I actually enjoyed it as fun background music even more Best - Doesn’t Matter Worst - Girlfriend

Just ditch the English version of these songs and stick with the French version. She sounds so much better and more comfortable in those.

I only listened to the french half but it was great. Solid album gj frenchies

Christine your a Queen in my eyes! Great album. Even though I didn't understand 95% of the lyrics, they had a way of speaking to me.

If listening to this is gay then I'm the biggest queer on earth 🏳️‍🌈✨️

Electronic pop Feels heavy yet effortless And quite nice to dance

Bastante aburrido en general, no suena mal pero es electropop bastante mid. Total del album: 57

Good stuff.

Mid pop. Interesting, but not really my thing. 3/5

Kind of generic pop.

This is fine.

Wasn’t for me.

Modern pop that is at first listen leaning heavily on 80's Michael Jackson. Well, why not? Unfortunately it's nowhere near as good. Pop should be immediate and fun. This is bland. More like a flavour of the month inclusion than an album you should hear before you die. YAWN. Best Tracks: Comme Si; Girlfriend; 5 Dollars

Smooth and sophisticated electropop. But way too vocal-focused for me.

I only listened to the English version so that's all I'll be judging this on. I was pleasantly surprised with this album. Euro electric music is generally not a genre I enjoy that much, but this was a nice blend with pop that gave it more listenable edge. None of the songs made me want to skip them or stop listening which is always a plus. Overall I enjoyed this one, but not sure how much I'll come back to it. Probably a 3.5 with half stars.

Is it a good album? Yeah. Right up my alley. Is it an important album? I don't know. I was in my prime when this album came out and I know teegan and Sara were more prominent, as well as quite a few other queer/women/trans acts that seem in my eyes as more popular. At least in America. Not to say that there can be only one non cis male white person on this list, but I'd be surprised if any one of those other bands are on this.. so I think this should be on the list but I hope there's about 4-5 other albums of this era too...

Ain’t it like France to lionize lukewarm pop 10 years behind the zeitgeist

Peppy. Sounds like something I’d hear in the food court of a mall. Fine. Not quite my thing.

Not really my thing, but I have to admit, he is very good at what he does. Some of this was very catchy, but not enough to put it over a three.

I did NOT need to hear that. I hated it.

2010s French pop does 80s pop doesn't do it for me. Thematically, it's a fine album, just wasn't translated in an evocative manner for me. Favorite song: Goya Soda Least favorite: Comme si Knew before? No

pretty good. surprised i dont hear about this one more

2018. Pop album. Why? I’m sure this won’t appeal to me but I’m a trooper. Listening to the French side. Not doubling up for 90 minutes. Come on. First song. Fuck sakes. I can’t even critique this accurately. This kind of music is not for me. I don’t think it’s for thinking. It’s supposed to be fun and bright and fluttery and make people happy or whatever. It’s unbearable. CHRIS. Why is this English now? I don’t know man. Listen. I’m not going to go to the ends of the earth to hear this one so French or English, whatever. This will hopefully be the last time I hear this anyway. This sounds like young Michael Jackson who discovered he can say swear words. Bad. The worst feature ever conceived. Bam. One step closer. More wailing. Overly dramatic but at least I get to practice my French. You know. This isn’t the worst song so far. Way too much repetition though. OH MICKÉ YOU’RE SO BELLE. Uh yeah. God this one is horrible. Just abhorrent. Boooooo. I meant to type an N, but hey. This typo is working for me. Bad. Pourquoi? Jellyfish jam. Ah man this thing would KILL at a postnatal dance workout class. Oh boy. More melodramatic RØSE (that’s French P!NK for all you linguo-Heads). Yeah this one is like you’re dying in the desert and you realize you’re completely lost and nowhere near getting to listen to Morbid Angel. How many god damn chansons we got left on this fucker??? WHO IS BRUCE??? I was just getting used to Chris and now there’s another name to learn. Scrap it. The G eh? Yup. I’m a French whiz. Le uhh genius de français. Check out that ç. Real fucking deal. I guess I can talk about the music again. This is glittery pop. 80’s diva stuff. Not for me buuuut The breaks are kind of fun. This song would be kind of fun if I was completely blitzed. Which doesn’t happen anymore. Ah well. Still a minor highlight. Mal ballade. I don’t like this. Thanks for trying. I think I have Stockholm syndrome in Paris because this isn’t a zero. While this individual was a terrible judge on drag race France, and most of their music is run of the mill pop, there’s something substantive about this album. Much more than I thought. By golly is it ever not for me, but I can’t say I hated all of it. 1-1.5 HIGHLIGHTS: La Marcheuse, Le G.

Meget radio venligt. Lidt nemt at lade det blive baggrunds lyd. Måske lidt for tideligt at sige man skal have hørt det her album inden man dør...

En enkel sang i ny og næ er fint. Men som hent album bliver det kedeligt

Better in French (2.5/5)

I wasn't brave enough to try and listen to the French version of this album but I do think that the English version is entirely likable. Coincidentally, the French word for 'bravo' is bravo, so when I use that word to describe my review, no translation needed for my French speaking audience. audience.

She certainly has a sexy, sultry sound But I’m a middle aged man I can’t keep that up for a full album Let alone doing it all again in French

I do not understand why this is on the list, it's not bad, but it feels a bit soulless and like I've already heard alot of it from other people. Again it's not bad, but it's instantly forgettable and just not sure why it's on the list

A throwback album to the production days of Quincy Jones, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis that is about subject matter that I cannot relate to. Recorded well, but didn't resonate much with me, and I suspect this album won't have a place on this list long term.

ровненький альбом послушать фоном - что-то в духе попсы 80-90-х

Favourite songs: Feel So Good, Doesn't Matter, Damn (What Must a Woman Do), Goya Soda, Follarse Least favourite songs: What's-Her-Face 4/5

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

This one definitely comes straight out of left field--I've never heard of her/him or this album, and I'm quite confident I've never heard any of these songs before. The music in many of the tracks doesn't really do all that much for me--a bit too semi-retro-80s-pop for my taste--but the videos are absolutely hypnotizing, largely from her/his physical strength and presence and an incredible variety of settings to "Comme si", "Girlfriend" and "The Walker" (not as much with "5 dollars"). I actually preferred the music more on the non-video tracks, especially "Doesn't Matter" and "Damn (what must a woman do)" (I kept hearing "what must a puma do"...), but I also enjoyed the seamless Franglais throughout, although I'll admit I chose not to listen to many of the French version of the songs. And kudos to Chris/Rahim C Redcar for earning 4 Victoires de la Musique!

no idea why this album is on this list

I only listened to the French version. It's perfectly fine pop music, not something I would rush to listen to again.

Now playing through the busted out speakers of your closest TJ Maxx.

3.75

Generic, bland, 80's-style electronic pop. (Two or three albums worth!) The songs were too routinely unremarkable to warrant such a long album. It's not my thing but it's innocuous enough to save it from being a 1.

I didn't have very high expectations when it came to reviewing Chris but i can safely say I'm pleasantly surprised at how solid this album turned out. First things first, this album is really weird and sounds like an 80s new wave album, except it was released 30 years late. However, this album did still manage to sound good and all the synths managed to sound melodic and unique. The album did feel a little long despite what it's 44 minute runtime states but i remained pretty interested for the most part. This is a pretty solid album that just happened to release at the wrong time. Best Song: The stranger Worst Song: Feel so good

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

This was fun background noise 3.5 rounded up

Did not like at all.

if we are putting things from 2018 onto the list, they better be fucking amazing. last two decades were shattering borders, allowing everyone with an ounce of talent and hard work to become famous, never before was it so easy to find new music to enjoy and never before was it so easy for musicians to release it. and this aint fucking it, the music is just really fucking boring, plain, empty, begging for more metaphorical musical juice in the mix, its just boring boring BORING bored i am bored listening to this. props for having two versions I guess? NNN

Meh

Elevator music. Boring as f.

Doesn’t offend. But once again, did the authors select the correct album?

Unremarkable.

Both 80s synth-pop and ironically named modern vaporwave. Generally uninspiring but could be used in the club due to its medium to slow tempo 4/4 beat. A rare all-skips album.

Gar nicht meins.

OK, sure it's got a real eurotrash vibe but the instrumentals sound really good.

Rather exemplifies the 3-star album.

Really catchy french synth driven dance pop.

Never heard of them before but turned out to be a really good album. Some great songs on there, catchy melodies and a great voice. Will be definitely checking out other albums!

Unapologetically quer pop. I really liked this one. I am impressed by Chris' ability to express himself in English and French, though the French side of the double disk set clearly sounds better. Unfortunately, I'm not able to understand a single word of that. High 4.

Favorite Track: Comme si on s’aimait

Damn, I really wanted to like this. Despite the superb production and lyrics I can't understand (I don't have any problems with this, I like when I can't understand what they're saying), it didn't do anything for me. I didn't find any songs that stand out and it ended up sounding kind of generic. Which is a real shame, because like I said, I really wanted to like it. Oh well. 2.5/5 the definition of mid

Mid

NOT IT

Queer 80s pop. But shit.

this album was way too long. she doesn't have a bad voice but I just don't see why we need to have a 1.5 hour album with this many songs. While I have you, I thought it was incredibly unnerving to have Chris whispered to me in nearly every song.

Really enjoyed this album! Dancy, fun tracks. Especially loved the track Damn (what must a woman do). Definitely need to check out more music from Chris/Redcar!

Grym pop. Musiken glider fram på ett härligt sätt. Skön röst. Gillar den franska skivan mer, låter bättre och inte lika... Töntigt (inte helt rätt ord) eftersom jag inte fattar franska. Har varit mycket bra nu på sistone. Kul!

Det här tycker jag var en rätt kul överraskning. Skön 80-talsfeeling och Michael Jackson-vibe i produktionerna och catchy låtar som var lätta att gilla. Gillar franska halvan bäst.

This is a good modern pop album, just not really my personal taste, but worth a listen

There's some good beats here, I like The walker with its dream pop vibes. The English vocals are a bit weird at times. Maybe I should have listened in French... Some of the tracks I dislike but it's mostly inoffensive. This was a brand new artist for me so happy to have heard some of it, but I won't be going back to this except for maybe The walker.

Retro electro-pop that's so authentic that it sounds like it really was recorded back in the mid-80s. What's not to like? All of it; it sucked so bad. I hated this sort of music when it actually WAS the 1980s, so to dredge it back up and try to breathe life into it was like some cruel torment for me. Throw some bilingual songs and appalling lyrics into the mix and you have an absolute stinker of an album. Those synths and drum machine beats should be crimes against humanity. I guess the singer is channelling their inner Janet Jackson, or something, no idea why anyone thought it was a good idea to put this garbage album together? Money? This was as close to not completing an album that I've come so far, and I'm over halfway through the full list now. It really was a terrible chore to get through and there was no way I was going back to listen to the same awful songs a second time in a different language. I would rate this as negative stars if I could, as 1 star seems generous.

It is an ironclad fact of music that French people occasionally make great music. Chris/Christine falls into that pantheon. The vocals are beautiful, and the understated synth music gives it an 80s/early 90s feel while still being recognizably modern. Really fun listen 4/5

This album was exactly what I needed this morning. Queer French hyper-pop, performed with Gallic elan by lead singer Chris. Unusually, this is a double album with the same songs presented in English and French, and on balance I think I preferred the French ones which gave my schoolboy French a workout. This would go down a storm on Eurovision and I mean that in the nicest way possible. It’s accessible, engaging and fun, and I will seek out more! Eurotastic!

I'm not a huge fan of pop and of music from the 80s (the production being generally awful) but Chris has a great voice, even though there's a 80s influence, it kinda keeps the best of it (it's pretty minimalistic overall). I probably won't listen to it willingly again, but that was not so bad.

This was decent pop music. Too long though. Should have been two albums. One in each language.

Pretty mediocre. Not really my vibe. Can’t say I enjoyed it. Wouldn’t mind it if it was playing in like a shop or something.

5/10 French Pop

It's about twice as long as an album should be, imo. But it's still pretty bloody good. And then I discover it's bilingual twin versions of the same record. All is forgiven 🙏😅

I thought it was over and had started back at the first song multiple times… because it all sounded the same, like shit!! And it just kept going and going 😪Department store Muzak has no place on this list!!

H&M music Already knew I was going to hate this one based on the 1 song of theirs that I already detest. But this was way too long and repetitive 1 ⭐️

I listened to the English version. I wonder why now? I own the French language version of debut 'Chaleur Humaine' and it is superior. However, this particular rosbif went all Brexit and opted for the album I could at least understand. I do have a peculiar respect for artists who pander to foreign audiences with different versions of tracks or albums - Elvis, the Beatles and Kraftwerk amongst them. I've always been tickled by David Lee Roth's attempt at outreach via a Spanish version of 'Eat 'Em And Smile'. Go give it a listen it's a gas. Anyway...I'm supposed to be talking 'Chris'. It's fine! The album is frontloaded with the best tracks, including 'Girlfriend', but it doesn't drop off - more like a lengthy levelling out. It's cool, 21st century space pop by an artist with a strong vision and a neat sound. 'Chris' just feels so light - but not insubstantial. There's a weightlessness to the synths that power this collection, bringing to mind phrases like 'nimble' and 'graceful'. I went on to listen to a few of the French language tracks, and indeed, they are better than their Anglophone counterparts. Three stars in English, four stars in forrin'.