Claude Fontaine - La Mer

There is a mythical island that exists only in Claude Fontaine’s imagination. It’s somewhere off the coast of France but the trade winds blow a soothing tropical breeze. The inhabitants converse in an alluring mélange of French and Portuguese. The air is fragrant and sweet. The water is the color of Lapis Lazuli. The stone citadels of this invisible city are scarred by time, but the natives exist in a velvet eternity.

If you wander at night amidst the starlit cobblestone roads, you might chance upon the official house band of this halcyon offshore republic. A mysterious ensemble fronted by an American girl with a French name singing a romantic collection of spells assembled under the name, La Mer. With their dulcet fusion of ‘60s French ye-ye pop, slinky Studio One reggae, and liminal Brazilian tropicalia, Claude Fontaine’s songs embody the best kept dreams of a globally connected world. The second album from the Los Angeles artist reflects the dream of creating the soundtrack for this utopia by the sea.

“The island was a complete figment of my imagination, but it’s where I found myself living while writing the songs,” Fontaine says. “A fantasy place where I could be surrounded by the people I wanted to be around, the people I already loved, and a love that I had never had. The songs felt like prayers or a manifestation about what I was hoping to put forward. ”

Released on Innovative Leisure, La Mer is a mesmerizing portal. It’s impossible for it to exist outside of the modern moment, but it floats on the gilded  dust of the past. At times, Fontaine channels Jane Birkin as backed by Jorge Ben. Francois Hardy locked into sonic reverie with Mulatu Astatke, or Margo Guryan making lovers rock.

For her second opus, Fontaine assembled some of the most gifted musicians of the last five decades. First and foremost is her co-writer and producer, the multi-platinum Grammy-Award winning Lester Mendez, whose resume includes everyone from Grace Jones and Baaba Maal to Shakira and Nelly Furtado.

“I write love songs. That’s what compels me,” Fontaine says. “I’m needlessly inspired by love, but in a deeper way than just pure romance. As you evolve, your understanding of the greater themes of life evolve too.”

    Tracklist:
    1. Vaqueiro
    2. Love The Way You Love
    3. Green Ivy Tapestry
    4. Laissez-Moi L'aimer
    5. Concha Del Mar
    6. Lover's Vow
    7. Camacari
    8. Small Hours
    9. Reliquia
    10. Marmalade Haze
    11. Kissing The Sun
    12. Chuva De Verao