Emilie Simon demonstrates exactly why I find French hip-hop so hard to take seriously. While raw anger is a difficult emotion to express in the French language, the French can effortlessly put a smoking sensual spin on just about anything, and in her latest full-length album "The Flower Book", Emilie Simon does just that. This is her first album being released to US audiences, and from making post-punk pop alluring to turning loneliness into something achingly seductive, her beautiful image and music will make it hard not to fall in love.

1. Song Of The Storm
2. I Wanna Be Your Dog
3. Dame de Lotus
4. Desert
5. Fleur de saison
6. Le vieil amant
7. Sweet Blossom
8. Rose hybride de the
9. Never Fall In Love
10. Flowers
11. Il pleut
12. Swimming
13. In the Lake
14. My Old Friend
15. To the Dancers in the Rain

While searching for descriptive comparisons, the one that keeps coming to mind is this; If the timidly adventurous and romantically awkward character of Amelie (played by Audrey Tautou) in the French film of the same name were to record her own music, it might sound like this. As far as musical comparisons go, you might draw parallels to Plaid and Black Dog's work with Björk, Emiliana Torrini, or a softer, less poppy version of Imogen Heap, but whichever comparison works for you, put a sweet French twist on it.

There are two distinct characters within The Flower Book; one is energetic and enamored with the 80s post-punk pop sound, the other is far quieter, her voice has a sweet, Lolita quality to it that sings in equally sweet melodies. Her characters may have listened to Kate Bush in their childhood, watched Audrey Hepburn movies, and done so while dressed up as everything from a classic French Lady of the Renaissance, to that of a 1920s socialite, or as an 80s pop princess. Her Lolita is often found in a surreal world (at times Tim Burton-like), singing of love and loneliness in half-lit rooms and landscapes. The 80s character is often cast as an edgy seductress wearing black and white stripes and pink chiffon, who has the ability to sing The Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog" and leave you with images quite opposite to those formed by the original performers. In fact, her rendition is strong enough that you aren't likely to think of the original performers at all.

The reason these two characters exist is because The Flower Book is made up of songs from Emilie's two previous albums, "Emilie Simon" and "Végétal", and from her critically acclaimed soundtrack for La Marche De L'Empereur (The March of the Penguins).

The opening track, "Song of the Storm" which is taken from the soundtrack, literally has her rubbing pieces of ice together as percussive elements. It's this kind of unexpected and unobtrusive experimentalism that makes her music work so well.

Emilie Simon's music has some truly surprising rhythmic loops, displaying her deep understanding of how to work with the kind of repetition that marks good electronic music production, although much of the time you'll forget the fact that much of the instrumentation is produced by electronic means. Emilie's songwriting is incredible, which makes no mystery as to why the French equivalent to the Grammy’s nominated her debut album as winner of the "best electronic music album" category.

This is the kind of album you can listen to four or five times in a row and still be in love with in the end. As with all flowers, beauty is subjective, and though you may not fully appreciate every one, this garden wouldn't be complete without its variety. Emilie Simon deserves a great amount of respect for her work and should have no trouble finding it among US music lovers.

Recommended flowers: Desert, In The Lake, Le vieil amant, Flowers, and Dame de Lotus. Be sure and seek out Thievery Corporation's mix of the French version of "Desert" which can be found on the compilation "St. Moritz Vibes, Vol. II Suite Royale" and also Thievery Corporation's remix album "Versions".

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