Myopia

Pianist, songwriter, singer, lyricist, a genuine star among fans of indie pop and neoclassical music, Agnès Obel launches a fourth album… without interest? Among the pioneers of this sub-genre currently at its peak, a quick listen to Myopia leaves the sad impression of the Danish artist having walked around the garden. The lyrics deal with the themes of trust and doubt. And then? We’re trying to be generous here, but… Except for a few inspired moments (the album’s title track, in particular), we’re largely left with the same melodies served previously, the same inflections, the same arrangements for piano and strings, the same harmonic progressions, the same rhythmic figures, the same post-minimalist motifs and other touches commonly used in film scores. Certainly convivial, certainly harmonious, certainly seductive at first blush, this style plied by Agnès Obel et al. has conquered crowds over the last decade, no need to namecheck the cohort of composers and performers mobilizing vast audiences to this day. Great for them, but… It needs to be said that this indie-pop chamber music is gradually losing its freshness. Diminishing in their returns, the compositional processes that support it cannot be maintained ad infinitum. Will Agnès Obel be an exception to this rapid obsolescence?