Woodkid: Desierto

Woodkid
Desierto
(Green United Music)

One of France’s greatest exports, Yoann Lemoine, who goes by the stage name Woodkid, is a complete mystery when it comes to his musical styling. Trying to lump Woodkid into a specific genre is a little bit like guessing what accent Madonna is going to use in a day. It is not difficult identifying where he is from, rather it is which category of music he can be grouped into. Ultimately, the answer is that he cannot be categorized into one specific sound. His music is unlike any genre and is instead like a fusion of multiple different kinds of sounds. The French singer-songwriter’s music is one part pop, one part neofolk, and one part chamber pop. His latest release, Desierto, was created for the Mexican film of the same name and is both thrilling and elegiac in its instrumentation as well as the lyrical content, even though there are lyrics on one song. The record begins with the song “Land of All.” It opens with nothing but violin and echoey, manipulated percussion. The listener is then confronted with the deep and haunting vocals of Woodkid. Although, he seems to mumble through the lyrics, instead of instilling confusion, the mumbling adds a stirring and mysterious quality, much like the film. The record then journeys through the same arid desert landscape depicted in the movie, heightening the disquietude and infertile terrain with only instrumentals. “Shoot Them Down” is one song where the listener feels the grip of anxiety before it transitions to the spine-chilling percussion of “Tracker.” Much of the record continues on this manner before ending with the emotive “Que Te Mate el Desierto.” Describing the album will not do it justice; the only way to truly understand the intense beauty of this album is to go and experience it. Turn down the lights, clear the mind, and let the sumptuousness of Desierto flow through and overwhelm.