Pharaon de Winter

A melodic collection of arty synth pop tunes, Pharaon de Winter is the eponymous debut of the Parisian band led by Maxime Chamoux. Produced by indie electronic artist Sandro Perri (Devon Sproule, Eric Chenaux), it's a mostly French-language album, rare (thus far) for Chamoux, formerly of the English-language Toy Fight and (Please) Don't Blame Mexico. Ranging from the catchy, orchestral "Ton Cour" to the new wavy, bass-led "Tocsin" to the tender keyboard ballad "Les Yeux" seasoned with electronic bloops and quiet string voices, the record is smooth going down yet slightly off-kilter throughout. ~ Marcy Donelson