When an artist coins a whole new term to describe their music, it means one of two things: 1) they are incredibly pretentious, or 2) their music really does defy a single genre definition.
In the case of Petite Noir, stage name of Capetonian Yannick Ilunga, it's definitely the latter. The musician calls his sound "noirwave", and while to those unfamiliar this doesn't mean much, it's an apt description for his experimental, broody sound.
For context's sake, there are various identifiable elements in his music: there's the dark, post-punk tinge of Joy Division, the hypnotic highlife of Fela Kuti, the rhythmic art rock of TV on the Radio... But to tie Noir to his possible influences would be a grave injustice to the artist's talent.
Over the past three years, he has released the occasional new track, hors d'oeuvres for listeners hungry to hear more. In January came the starter, in the form of his EP, The King of Anxiety. The six-track release was good enough to whet our appetites and held enough mystery to leave us wanting more. And now comes the main course, Petite Noir's debut full length album, La Vie Est Belle/Life Is Beautiful.
From the opening notes of Intro Noirwave, we know we are in for something special. The two-minute intro starts with a woman repeating the words, "Life is beautiful", before drums (conga? djembe?) come in, a crescendo that leads us into Best, a dreamy track that has one of the most visually arresting music videos we've seen in a long time.
The verses are restrained and melancholic, before the song (and Noir) bursts into life when the chorus (and guitars) come in.
In an interview with The Times, the musician said the song is about Marikana: "The relatives don't have a voice that speaks for them‚ just all the tragic issues that happen and fade like nothing happened. The song just represents a black voice in general‚ which is being pushed down."
Other standout tracks on the album include MDR, an infectious and sexy tune which opens with the line everyone wants to hear from their lover: "Did you know you're beautiful, in every single way?"
Coming from someone else this line would sound saccharine and fake, but there's something about the way Noir sings it that makes you believe every word.
Along with Colour, MDR is the kind of song that has cool riffs with harmonies that bring to mind Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens, Fela Kuti's Queens (those in the backing band) or Bob Marley and the I Threes: that classic, simple and gorgeous male-female vocal combination.
The chilled out title track is also a highlight, as are the Afrobeat-tinged single Down and the ballad-like Inside. For some reason, Noir decided to end the album with Chess, which originally appears on his King of Anxiety EP (and which has a random yet entertaining video).
The beauty of La Vie Est Belle is in how restrained it is, in how Noir still sounds minimalist even though songs like the sublime Seventeen (Stay) and Just Breathe have an urgency about them.
One American newspaper called the album "dull", but we disagree. A well-crafted album is anything but dull. Just because it's not an immediate or infectious album that doesn't mean it belongs in the "boring" category.
Even though Petite Noir has been steadily gaining traction (both locally and internationally), it's a good thing he didn't rush his full-length debut. Here's an artist who respects his craft - and you can hear it.
Did we mention that he wrote the album in two weeks? That's mad talent.
• La Vie Est Belle/Life Is Beautiful is available on iTunes.
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