Five years ago in bustling Paris, the stars collided and two talented souls were brought together to make beautiful love and music. Mi and L’au is comprised of Finnish model turned songstress Mira Anita Mathilda Romantschuk and French musician Laurent Leclere. Mi was working as a fashion model when she met L’au at a Halloween party. The two fell in love immediately and soon after decided to leave the busy streets of Paris for an isolated log cabin in the Finnish countryside. There, they would explore each other and their music.
The passion between Mi and L’au in their personal lives seems to set the stage for the emotional depth portrayed in their debut album. The content is refreshingly simple; less about literary profundity and more about the sensation of pure feeling. The music is completely organic and centered mostly around the L’au strummed acoustic guitar. Toy piano, the realism of room noises, and stringed instruments supplement the earthy guitar and raw vocals. Foundations for the album were actually recorded in their cabin in Finland, while the overdubs were created in Brooklyn.
The lyrics are sparse but candid, oftentimes repeated for effect. The first track on the album “They Marry,” seems to tell the story of their love. Mi’s voice sounds like a forlorn angel accompanied by whimsical, circus-like orchestrations. The tracks on which Mi sings alone are sparkling, but the songs they sing together are sheer magic. In their duet “Philosopher,” L’au’s deep and lush voice faithfully compliments Mi’s high and breathy flair. Their perfectly matched harmonies have a haunting effect, they’ll pierce right through your heart. “There’s a Word in Your Belly,” performed by L’au, is a standout track on the album. The lyrics are subtly provocative and the song is marked by ambient string section tremolos, open spaces, and constant ringing notes in the background.
Mi and L’au’s debut self titled album is not only a reflection of their mutual love for one another, but also the stark and barren landscape of the Finnish countryside. Resonating throughout the whole album is a deep-seated connection with nature, delicate and uncontaminated. The wide open spaces of Mi and L’au’s expressive scenery will free you from all of life’s little claustrophobia’s. The album has an overall soothing effect and is best listened to in bed with headphones on. The tender hums of stringed instruments will wrap themselves around you as Mi and L’au gently murmur in your ears.
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March 22nd, 2006 at 9:20 am
I want to this to this track because of the way you composed this post(And I’ve never listened to Folk Music, GO GURL!).Beautifully written, this graceful vignette is a compliment to Mi & L’au’s work. Welcome to the team homie!
March 23rd, 2006 at 4:12 pm
This is a great review. The way you told the story behind the music got me interested and now here i am rocking it.