YELLE – SAFARI DISCO CLUB

French disco pop is one of those things you have to be in the mood for. With that in mind, Yelle are great for what they are, and they hurl themselves into this pink and yellow synth jungle with the utmost French bombast. The opening title track takes us, via some synthetic interpretations of tribal percussion, to a cute chorus that sounds like something a French Mighty Boosh might yield: “les animaux danse dans le safari disco club…”. The cuteness continues throughout Que Veux-Tu and C’est Pas Une Vie and it becomes clear that Safari Disco Club is navigating that knife’s edge between the cigarette-wielding “super cool” and the stereo-smashing “super over it”, depending on the presence of the afore-mentioned mood. Thankfully, La Musique steps a little closer to the Justice/Daft Punk side of French electronic production that we know and love and Yelle veer into a calmer 80s disco groove for the remainder of the disc. A solid and novel record from some cheeky Francophones, just make sure you read the directions of use.

***