Madeon: Good Faith Review

https://madeon.store/collections/archives-page/products/good-faith

Madeon just doesn't release enough music. Years ago, he released a music video collaborating with a rather unexpected set of people, showcasing just how adept he is at sampling. It was nothing short of fantastic; he created a modern Too Long that retroactively proved the genius of Daft Punk. Sure, that means he is just a copycat. But there aren't that many musicians out there that nail the execution.

Adventure proved it was more than just one song, but Good Faith is here to prove it's more than just one album. Madeon is not reinventing the wheel, and never has tried to. The strengths he had in the past haven't faded, and his decision to take the microphone instead of relying on guests hasn't shown him to be only good by association. This is an artist that could become the next household name from the club world if he keeps this track record up.

First and foremost to that success is the solid melodic groundwork of these tracks. Songs are cohesive, progress well, and don't overstay their welcome. Mercifully they don't try to stick any dubstep in where it isn't at all welcome either. That groundwork comes alive with electric hooks; particular favorites for me are the shift-into-overdrive ribbon synth solo on Be Fine and the cyclical lead-in on All My Friends. The inclination for syncopation is also back, and it's just as brain tingly as before.

One of the new boundaries being pushed is again not a new boundary at all: traditional instruments. We have quite a bit of piano, a great horn section on Hold Me Just Because, and what sounds to be a good day's work with a gospel choir. The splicing together of these traditional and digital elements creates a lot of fun moments, from the monolithic vocal manipulations on the opener Dream Dream Dream to the interplay of spinning old string orchestra records and synth arpeggios on Nirvana.

Most of the lyrics are typical dance fare: melodramatic dogma that gets the job done. This unserious bubblegum tone is what I want from him; trying to be meaningful or subvertive would make me scoff at the attempt. That being said, I think he still operates under some assumption that he needs ideas flowing from the lyrics at all. It's completely fine for your lyrics to only be there to prevent the vocals from being "Oooooh". It's cool to have collage style lyrics like Beck does. It's fine to just repeat a line a bunch. Madeon has big lyric songs here that work well; Be Fine and All My Friends benefit from having a strong lead focus (not that they needed help, those songs are straight bangers). On the other side, Nirvana keeps things simple, which works quite great. 

The songs that fall in between these relative extremes struggle to justify having vocals overall, partly from disinteresting themes and flat syllibical hooks, and partly from a tad too much obfuscation of the vocals. Going forward I do hope Madeon will again see the value of passing the mic more often. I hope it isn't a confidence issue, and I don't at all mind him singing. Take a look at the incredible debut from Mura Masa, old (and I suppose new) Gorillaz albums, or even just the previous album Adventure. A good flow of guests in the mix doesn't have to be a crutch to generate attention if we're here for the band, not the guests.

The majority of this album does lean towards a reflective tone rather than a straight dance party. It's at first a little bit of a letdown from the previous party-game vibe of Adventure, but I'm glad this didn't end up sounding like b-sides. If anything, there is more emotion pumped into the hooks, creating a spacious motif that sounds like relief. The most emotional tracks at the end of the album, Borealis and Heavy With Hoping do tip the scale a little further than I would want, but this comes as much from the least compelling arrangments as much as it does from the overserious tone. Neither of them are bad though, they're merely alright.

At 35 minutes, it's not great to have any songs miss the mark. Even the least interesting songs feel cohesive to the mood, though, and I don't feel the need to skip them. I have excitement for putting this album on every time, and I'm left wanting more. I talked a lot about the issues I have, but honestly it's just so simple to throw those issues out and play the dang thing anyway with full enthusiasm. The production choices are enthralling, the hooks are tight, and the melodic themes don't resort to overshort loops without reprieve.  If you're looking for something meaningful, look elsewhere. If you want beats that stick in your head and put you in a fantastic mood, this is your jam. This won't be that magic record to make Madeon a household name, but he feels extremely close to it.

7.8/10

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