If you dropped in and listened to French chanteuse Emilie Simon's "The Flower Book" (her debut U.S. release), or have been listening to her work since before that I think you know what to expect from "March Of The Empress" (La March De L'Empereur): shadowy, shimmering beauty. What March of The Empress really is, is the re-release (in its entirety) of Emilie Simon's "Victoires De La Musique" award-winning and highly acclaimed soundtrack to the European release of the animated film, March of The Penguins.

1. The Frozen World
2. Antarctic
3. The Egg
4. Song Of The Sea
5. Baby Penguins
6. Attack Of The Killer Birds
7. Aurora Australis
8. The Sea Leopard
9. Song Of The Storm
10. Mother's Pain
11. To The Dancers On The Ice
12. All Is White
13. The Voyage
14. Footprints In The Snow
15. Ice Girl

It was 2003 when Emilie Simon, not yet an established musical artist, met with the films director Luc Jacquet, and according to all accounts she knew it was a rare opportunity to write music that would play a crucial role in a true feature film. Since she had already been working on some new songs based around an "ice" theme, it was clearly fate.

As is the case with all soundtracks, its emotional content runs the gammut but Emilie's choice of primary instruments (those that represent the sounds of ice to her); plucked acoustic strings, metallic percussion (vibes, xylophone, etc.), and synthesized ethereal washes, create a cohesive tone throughout the album's varying emotions. You can easily listen from start-to-finish and never realize it's anything other than an artist album.

There are a few songs that were also found on The Flower Book like "Song Of The Storm", but the majority will be new to you if you haven't yet heard this soundtrack. "To The Dancers On The Ice" presents an almost entirely instrumental variation on "To The Dancers In The Rain" which was originally released on her self-titled debut album in 2003, and subsequently appeared in The Flower Book.

Beneath these tranquil lullabies you'll hear a subtle menace. It isn't like a "killer waiting around the next corner" menace, it's delicate, nearly silent and always just beyond your view. It's a mistifying menace. It's the unexpectedly beautiful deadliness of winter. Emilie captures this through the use of "electronic" music elements like glitches and scratchy synths.

The stronger, more obvious emotions are conveyed through orchestrated strings (cello, violin,etc.) and punctuated with what are most often naturally played percussive elements.

One of my personal listening favorites is "All Is White". It's among the more contemporary "electronic", less soundtracky songs, featuring a strong vocal performance from Ms. Simon. What really gets me each time I listen to it are the amazing synth loops that drop in every so often beginning at the middle of the song and bringing it to an amazing close.

There are two bonus tracks presented here, including "Ice Girl", a song Emilie had been working on (coincidentally while writing songs inspired by ice) prior to getting involved in the movie soundtrack project.

March Of The Empress is simply beautiful work.

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