The lucky people who have seen the small circle of musicians around Emilie Satt interact already know that V For Vertigo isn’t yet another singer’s album. And although François Le Xuan, Benoît Rucheton and Jean-Karl Lucas admit that their journey together started with her, it is really obvious that their music only has one ideal. That of the resulting song which remains, fully obvious, flouting trends and styles. That of songs just supporting a voice that will have you quivering with the most candid words. The words of primal emotion. Soulful, as they say across the Channel. For it is in english that Emilie delves into her inspiration, in turn woody (when it is folk) or crystalline (for pop music), carried by a band in which anyone can play anything. V For Vertigo really are yearning for high standards in their writing (as confirmed by the melodies Stacey Kent has elected), and the true complementarity between the musicians is based on that. Thanks to the clear and personal line they follow, they manage to avoid the traps of the proverbial and always overly conspicuous influences.
As true believers in the organic balance of the structure of the songs – those songs that get under your skin – V For Vertigo took their time. They did so in order to better move forward together, without renouncing the incredible luxury of maturing an insidious melodic line, of digging up the right word or the chord that resonates. Also choosing not to overlook the comfort of a studio, the decisive enticement of a silky production and the fruitful contribution of 24-carat guests (Hugh Coltman, Marcelo Giuliani, Alberto Malo, Johan Dalgaard), V For Vertigo know that accessibility is the strength of this first album – which is easily replicable in utterly convincing bareness : a guitar and a voice. An accessibility that we could also call truth, lit by the throng of images trailing from it, as though highlighting its suggestive power.
With V For Vertigo, the band decidedly refused to conform to the modern canons of the transient. “We haven’t made a fashionable album”, Emilie acknowledges. There is absolutely no doubt that “If”, “Ride Out” or “We just want to go home” will be just that : beautiful songs that go straight to your heart and endure. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.