By the time of their 2014 album,
Une Si Longue Attente, the French duo
Watoo Watoo had been making tiny, hard-to-uncover-gems for, well, a long time. Beginning in 2000, their intricately crafted, sweeter-than-honey indie pop confections have been making those who could find them very happy. This is their first full-length in quite a while and shows them to be in fine form. With equal measures of
Stereolab's easy rolling, organized stroll, super-relaxed bossa nova, reserved French class, and tuneful indie pop grace, the album is built to soothe as it surrounds the listener in cozy layers of warmth. Even though there are some stand-out tracks, like the gently rollicking title track or the
Young Marble Giants-inspired "Ne M'oublie Pas," the album succeeds as a mood setter rather than a series of singles. Along with the familiar strains of influence the duo references, they also add some new sounds to the mix, as on the dramatic spy movie theme "Minnax," which is so good it really makes you want to see the movie. No matter the sound or mood, the guy who makes all the music, Michaël Korchia, shows a crack hand at composition and arrangement and Pascale Korchia's restrained but very lovely vocals are the perfect topping. It's a certainty that
Une Si Longue Attente will pass all but the most astute indie pop fans by, but that doesn't make it any less of a pleasure. Maybe it makes it even more of one. No matter how you feel about that, one thing is clear:
Watoo Watoo need to make more records exactly like this, and they need to do it soon. ~ Tim Sendra