Christine and the Queens – ‘PARANOÏA, ANGELS, TRUE LOVE’ album review: a glam-rock infused meditation on the divine and the human
French singer-songwriter Christine and the Queens has returned with his fifth album PARANOÏA, ANGELS, TRUE LOVE. In 20 tracks, Chris takes inspiration from Tony Kushner’s celebrated 1991 play Angels in America to philosophise on divinity, romance, anxiety and faith.
The album is wide and cinematic from its first track, which features a bold spoken word section from Chris, who utters: “Welcome to the light, from where I stand everything is glorious”. The short opener introduces listeners to the album’s concept – its deep soundscapes, glam rock influences, divine lyricism and theatrical feel.
The following track and the album’s third single, ‘Tears can be so soft’ is a highlight of the record. With repetitive lyrics longing for his mother, brother, friends, and joy, Chris contemplates the healing nature of crying and sitting with your emotions. He declares: “Tears can be so good for those who dive in them”. A deep, trip-hop-inspired sub-bass is prioritised in the instrumental, paired with soaring strings at the track’s climax, which only enhance Chris’ vulnerable lyricism.
The track samples Marvin Gaye’s ‘Feel My Love Inside’, contrasted against a repeated atonal motif, which Chris chose to “create this deep sense of almost womb-like, hypnotic space where the voice could soar in its loneliness”. Chris utilises sampling throughout the album, including a masterful use of German composer Johann Pachelbel’s iconic ‘Canon in D’ on the track ‘Full of life’. The classical sample is juxtaposed with a pulsing 808 and Chris’s repeated use of the words “fucking” and “fighting”.
The record sees Chris take on some ambitious collaborations, from working with legendary producer Mike Dean to upcoming rapper 070 Shake to the queen of pop herself, Madonna. The latter appears on three tracks across the album, largely contributing echoey, thespian spoken word interludes. Her voice becomes akin to the voice of God on the record.
Chris spoke about working with Madonna, stating: “I explained to her that I wanted her to be the ‘One Big Eye’, sending her lines to read instead of choruses to sing, appealing to the actress in her. She delivered wonderfully, embodying every word with her wonderful ambivalence. This very classic iconic Madonna speaking voice becomes as multi-faceted as she is. Suffused in our consciousness, taking many forms and roles, from a motherly figure to a dominatrix.”
The appearance of 070 Shake alongside Chris on ‘Let me touch you once’ is another highlight. The song is one of the album’s more intense, a lustful marriage of artists and genres that blends the French and English languages seamlessly.
The album’s closer, ‘Big eye’, is a cathartic track that echoes the opening track as Chris sings: “My love is my light”. Pairing his layered ethereal vocals with quirky synths and climactic instrumentals, the song brings together the album’s themes in one track, from motherhood to divinity to sex. PARANOÏA, ANGELS, TRUE LOVE is consistently divine in theme and sound, a coherent piece of work which Chris rightly dubs “a love letter to the world and the heavens that encapsulate the fever of life”.
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