Chris

Really fun pop album, well produced and very funky. I really like the idea of a bilingual album, very unique. I definitely preferred the french versions though.

Not a huge pop fan. Thought this had potential but felt it didn't build on it and fell a bit flat. Oddly, the French versions that followed the English were much more enjoyable so my star rating is for the French version. Don't bother with the English.

Think I love this. Didn't realise this was who "Girlfriend" came from. Sophisticated pop.

I really enjoyed listening to this again. I thought it was quite musically straightforward with some pleasing synth sounds. The first half is excellent but I found the second half less interesting. Favorite tracks were Girlfriend and 5 Dollars

Ei kyllä uponnut edes vähää alusta. Tusinakamaa

Ei uponnu ja ihan liian pitkä

I liked this. Not sure how much, and not sure whether I preferred the French or English versions.

This surprised me. Not exactly my genre of choice, but I really enjoyed it. Good beats and great voice.

Not exactly a mega-fan of what passes for contemporary R&B, but this is a pretty fair example of it. Actually liked this more than I thought I would.

Pop genérico la verdad, no veo la novedad.

Melodic and interesting. Probably benefits from a few listens.

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.

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.

Listened to both the English and French versions and felt the latter flowed better - the rich production complemented by the lyrical flow of the less-angular vocals made the LP feel warm and syrupy. This was both a benefit and detriment, as the synths are top-notch and the production clear without being overpowering, yet there's just too much here to stomach all in one sitting as the melodies vary little from track to track (though maybe that's because I listened to the whole 2LP at once).

Great voice and songs. I also loved the 80s synth-pop ascetics.

I only listened to the first (English) half of this - wasn't going to punish myself by listening to it twice and at 90 minutes. Nothing standout really - it just sounded like random 2010s synthy pop music. Had a bit of a cool Michael Jackson flavour, but diluted too much with that modern "lo fi" approach and never really came out of the gate. It wasn't unpleasant though, and she can sing well enough. Nothing groundbreaking, nothing shithouse. Makes me wonder (again) why I needed to hear it before I die, but that's pretty normal. 3/5.

More interesting then I thought. Later tracks better

4, great pop album

Better than I thought it was gonna be, has some nice tunes 6/10

Listened to on 3/9/22 4/5 Favorite song: 5 dollars, the walker, comme si This album was the best change of pace! I loved how Christine integrated French and English into her lyrics. It was fun, edgy and all in all great to listen to

Pretty standard generic indie pop. Don’t really see what’s so special about this that it needed to be on this list.

3/9/22 This album was fine. Nice enough for background, but only the French. The English version bothered me, probably because lyrics are such a big deal for me. Wouldn’t listen to again. Favorite song: Come Si (French version)

This album seems like pretty straight ahead pop, reasonably fresh and catchy but not (to me) particularly special. That said, Chris seems like a fascinating character and the videos I looked up did seem special. I think her personal, music, and dancing come together in a whole that is more than the sum of its parts. Any individual bit (like this album) might be a 3, but the whole package is closer to five. I hope she has a long, successful, groundbreaking career with many interesting phases.

Chris from Christine and the Queens is a difficult album to rate. There was nothing that I particularly liked or dis-liked from this album. I listened to the French album, and "5 Dols" is the only track that caught my attention enough for me to double check what I was listening to. I was surprised that this album was released in 2018, because the album sounded like 1990s to me (like stuff that I was chosing not to listen to of my own choice in the 90s). I guess this might round up to 3 stars because I didn't hate it?

This is French singer Héloïse Letissier, with a stage name of... Christine and the Queens? At first I thought it was a band, but it isn't, Christine and the Queens is a single person. Weird. So in her second album, Héloïse Letissier aka Christine and the Queens reportedly cut her hair, stood up, you know like a typical woman-gone-badass movie trope, and said "just call me Chris". Aaaand... I don't think synthpop is the best medium to deliver some messages in 2018. It sounds like somewhere between '80s synthpop and the minimalist R&B of the '10s. It has some great moments, but overall, it's pretty boring and monotonous. I guess the music scene in France is a bit different, of course it's different. Still, it's a pretty nice and accessible effort by her to spread awareness and share her journey as an LGBTQ+ member.

Bit of a meh for me on this one. Nothing really grabbed in a general way on this. Most songs inoffensive a couple rise above that descriptor. 2.5 🌟

Great french pop! Worth putting in my heavy rotation!

Great pop album. Catchy motifs and interesting melodies all around. (6/10) FT: Girlfriend, Damn,dis-moi

so amazing

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.

Calm pop Fun Jazzy smooth chords

J'aime beaucoup la musique et Chris a vraiment une belle voix, mais le chant saccadé et très mordant sur les consonnes font en sorte de vraiment rendre l'expérience moins agréable à mon oreille

It felt good, but I wasn't sure if it wasn't for me or if I didn't get it. I enjoyed listening, but something didn't quite click. It's the kind of stuff I like though, so maybe after a few listens I'd love it.

Quite enjoyed this.

This album has a French version and an English version. For the sake of brevity, I'm only listening to the French version. Nice and sleek synthpop, very much calling from the sort of 80's aesthetic revival we've been having (see: Stranger Things, amongst other things). I don't often hear much out of France, so this is a good change. I can't say I feel it deserves much of a spot on the list, though, as it sort of comes across as "just good". How has this resonated since 2018? Not sure if it has. Critics seem to love this though. Good for them.

3/5

grating voices

Decent

Though not a style of music I generally go for, I found this interesting enough to listen to the whole thing again, in French the second time.

That's weird. 2 days in a row of 2018 albums. Again, a weird choice for the list? French pop a la Tegan and Sara. It was fine.

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!

A little long, but enjoyed it overall

diversity win! A butch lesbian made slightly generic but solid sounding pop record! 7/10

8/10. Definitely better in French. Started out sounding like French Taylor Swift, but had some more diverse sounds to it later on.

Decently entertaining French pop. 7/10

Started well but kind of fell off

way too long

Never heard of this band before, but their music is more proof that not all French pop is crap.

This album comes in both French and English versions. Although I didn't really engage with the lyrical content, the English version was still more enjoyable. It doesn't sound like a translation that has been shoehorned in. I'd be interested to know if the meanings of the songs are the same in both languages. Both versions are listenable and pleasant electropop. 3/5.

Rather an energetic album! Quite fond of the rhythm.

5/10

I used to have a playlist with cool French pop on it and one day "Girlfriend" mysteriously changed to the French version which soured things somewhat. For me, that's the standout track on the album (either version) but the rest of the album is good. I feel like it might need a few more listens to fully appreciate it but tracks like "What's-her-face" have a searing emotion that deserves further listening.

Pretty great tbh, someone said Tegan and Sara are probably fans and i definitely see it. Same vibes. 4

I like this album! The songs range from really vibe-y, synthy, smooth jams, to just-ok synthpop songs, and its perfect background music. I listened to both the English side and the French side of this and I preferred the French side slightly, but I love the French language so I'm biased hehe.

Every song here was a hit. Sometimes I preferred the French versions, sometimes I preferred the English versions. But I could put this on repeat and not tire of it. Sounds super fresh.

Enjoyed this album more than I thought I would. Had some great 80s vibes and such and variety of instruments throughout. Had a retro feel but sounds very modern. Songs get a little weaker later on In the album. Fav track is 'Doesn't Matter'

very french, this guy has listnd to a lot of MJ

no

Very good synth pop. Enjoyed the bi lingual bits, even though my french is not up to scratch!

Middling.

Production is excellent - songs are not so special.

Cleary influenced by Michael Jackson, especially on first few songs. I thought the vocals were very good, and the production was decent, if somewhat cold and dry. But ultimately, the songs didn't grip me enough to want to listen to this again.

All a bit same same but love the Caroline Polacheck sounds

Another excellent relisten. I appreciate that it is aggressively bilingual.

Niet mijn jam, beetje slap en saai

Great production and music to back up the surpurb vocals. It was a pretty interesting experience to listen to both the English and French versions of Chris. Listening to the English one first was like a 3/5 as only a few songs were great to me (Girlfriend, Doesn't matter). But after a few hours break and then listening to the French one, it's definitely a 4.5/5. The songs just breathe a bit better and the vocals sound more natural. It also made songs like Goya Soda and The Stranger which were ok in English make more sense. Maybe it was also just better on the second listen. Recommend highly though regardless.

Kinda weird and not my style, but not bad.

More subdued that I anticipated. Quality beats and I enjoyed the message behind a lot of the songs. Honestly, not really my cup of tea, though. Second half not as interesting as the first half. Some solid singles though.

Pop. Inglés/francés

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

Not a fan

This band reminds me a bit of Tegan and Sarah but also I think they are french? Never heard of them before this but this is one of the more current releases we have heard. I found Goya Soda to be very interesting in terms of content. It was as if they were trying to sing about anything they could.

Whoa, very recent record. I've heard some Christine and the Queens before but not this album. Very art-poppy, but it retains the spirit and energy of pop pretty well. Really enjoyed the opening few tracks, but it lost some steam for me on the back end. A cool inclusion, though maybe not as game-changing as others I would put on here. I think the listmakers struggle a bit with what to include from this century; they're unable to benefit from hindsight for what's here and now. Still a good album though. Favorite tracks: Goya Soda, Girlfriend, Comme si. Album art: A bit more involved than the standard portrait, but nothing crazy. I saw this floating around a lot in 2018 and unfortunately it didn't grab me enough to listen to then. 3.5/5

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

An album from 2018, looks like maybe we're going outside of the 1001 albums book since it only went to 2010, not that that's a bad thing. Wasn't sure what to expect, turned out to be a French pop album with some 80s influences. Kind of reminded me of Robin in a way, but also more focused on religion and LGBTQ+ topics. Found it to be pretty good musically, I don't go out of my way to listen to pop but you sort of have to if you ever go in public so it was nice to hear something different and it was very well performed.

Too damn long

guter Pop, pseudo 80er. Die französischen Versionen sind besser. Gegen Ende wirds etwas schwacher.

3/5

Jai bien aime le cote electro pop. Cest francais en plus. Un bon album mais 1h30. Ca amene de la repetitij mais quand meme pas trop . 3.85

It's not as bad as you think - there are some interesting sounds layered in there. Need headphones to appreciate this one! Also, Let's hear it for the keytar!

I like the lead singer's voice, but the music doesn't do a lot for me.

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.

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.

not really a fan, its alright but it just feels like its someone from france trying to be generic american pop

It’s not a bad pop album. Only listened to the French versions

Great pop album. Catchy motives and interesting textures all around. Super original sound, very own to CatQ.

It’s an ok pop album. Kinda cool how she did the songs in both French and English. It’s well produced and some of the songs are catchy. Nothing too exciting though. I can’t see myself listening to it much more. 3.6/10

Excellent pop music. The first half is very Michael Jackson influenced, especially his earlier work. The second half is a bit slower and contemplative sounding. Overall, this album is very heavy on 80s pop motifs with a bit of contemporary hip hop influence thrown in (though non-obtrusively). The lyrics are deliberately dense which I really like as it allows the music to create a mood around a song to get an emotional meaning across that's not as dependent on the musical content. This is not my usual genre but I found it well executed and enjoyable.

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 don't think this needed the dual language release for me. I far preferred the French but having all the tracks twice (basically) detracted a bit.

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

Was going to vote 2, but there are some decent french songs on there. A very long album though

Eine Platte für indentitätspolitische Auseinandersetzung unserer Zeit. Kommt immer wieder mal vor. Planningtorock hat den Gender Bender früher schon krasser betrieben. Dies ist trotz satter Beats zu Beginn aber mehr so French Pop à la Vanessa Paradis mit einer Prise Phoenix. Im Kultur Radio ahne ich schon die Anmoderation. 1.4

Voreingenommen rangegangen: mir ist die ganze queere Kunst- und Diskursszenerie ja gern mal zu anstrengend. Dann aber positiv überrascht von den Sounds: Super gefälliger, wirklich satt produzierter 80er-Pop zum Einstieg (Frankreich, ey! Überrascht immer wieder ...), klare Referenzen an Janet und Paula und Scritti Politti und The Human League. Ich mag sowas ja wirklich ganz gern. Irgendwo bei ca. Goya Soda setzt erstmals freundliche Langeweile ein, ab What's-her-face dann leichter Wechsel der Soundscapes, aber weiterhin in gefälligen 80ern, no Diggity. So richtig meine Erwartung/Vorurteil trifft das Ding dann erst mit dem letzten Song auf CD1. Angestrengt anstrengend. Und dann geht die zweite auch schon wieder so weiter wie die erste angefangen hat. Deshalb auch der nächste, zur Abwertung führender Kritikpunkt: Warum more of the same? Warum diese Hybris? Wer braucht das? Niemand? Niemand. Als auf der zweiten Seite nochmal Goya Soda lief, nur diesmal mit Ausrufezeichen bin ich kurz erschrocken und dachte: oh nee, aus Versehen einfach nochmal die erste gehört. Aber ah, ok. Das sind dann Varianten der ersten Seite, English/Francais und so. Aber ist das notwendig? Really? Not really, pardonnez-moi. Bei mehr Kompaktheit wäre ne 3 durchaus drin gewesen, aber so ...

Ooh la la

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.

fun bilingual dreamy pop-esque album with all the best tracks weighted in the 1st half. Somehow reminds me of shopping at Old Navy.