AVRIL THAT HORSE MUST BE STARVING ALBUM F COMMUNICATIONS RELEASE: NOVEMBER 11, 2002 REVIEW: JANUARY 16, 2003

The man in control of the machines, shining through, human. Avril (not mainstream newcomer Avril Lavigne) makes electronica the way I like it. The first time I listened to "That Horse Must Be Starving" I thought it was nice, but nothing more. Loads of samples, decent melodies and quite diverse songs. The second time I wanted to rate it as a ten. After a zillion listens, yes as with all good music French Avril's latest album is like a drug, I land somewhere in-between.
The album is diverse, ranging from French technopop in "The Date" to a unexpectedly hard rendition of Lil’Louis’ "French Kiss" and gloomy "Helium Lifeboat" with Beth Hirsch doing the vocals. But as much as all songs stand for themselves, they don’t make up a unified whole, which is a shame considering the narrative framework Avril tries to place on the project. Well, you can’t have all in life, and this is just what keeps me from giving "That Horse Must Be Starving" an even higher grade. What you can have in life, though, is a kick ass, pretentious French album containing the best melodic electronica in a long time.

KALLE MALMSTEDT