Raphaël Essentials

Raphaël may deliver his songs with the total commitment and passion of broken-hearted chanson, but his musical arrangements are far from traditional. Amid the mournful strings and folkish square dances the form demands (“Le vent de l'hiver”), there are songs infected with sideswipes of drunken synth (“Peut-être”), sharp stabs of brutish guitar feedback (“Etre Rimbaud”), an appearance from David Bowie's former pianist Mike Garson (“Poste restante”) and the occasional choir of children (“Sur mon dos”) to lace his galloping ennui with innocent optimism.