CAMILLE
Le Fil Virgin France ****

There is much adventure to behold in the notes you are about to hear. Camille Dalmais first piqued interest in these parts as a singer on the Nouvelle Vague project, but her own work is planets removed from those chi-chi punk and loungecore new wave covers. Le Fil has already clocked up more than 250,000 in sales in France, Camille's fellow citizens going nuts for her sky-high fragile pitch, engaging avant-garde sense of occasion, and charming lyrical sketches.

It may indeed remind many of Björk at her most Medulla-like or others of Joanna Newsom without the harp. But even as you make out hints and traces of melancholic jazz or subdued African rhythms, it's really Camille's voice and range that you've come to hear. Whether it's the playful moods throughout Vous and Ta Douleur or the intricate depth and beauty of Au Port, it's obvious that Camille's apparent scattiness disguises a sure-footed set of sonic smarts and awareness.

Some may baulk at the harmonic drone that stitches the entire album together and the sheer self-indulgence of tracks that are gone as fast as they appear (both qualities at odds with the more accessible nature of her Le Sac des Filles debut album). Still, it's rare to find an artist making experimental music that sounds so damn catchy and compelling. www.camille-lefil.com