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Brother Valiant seems to have mastered a trick that many others of his ilk would do well to learn. When we hear the term “singer-songwriter,” our minds probably conjure one of two images. On the one hand, you have the serious and studious folk troubadour, working in time-honored traditions and creating music for the more discerning palette. On the other, you have the artist playing the pop game, looking to write songs with mass appeal that are easy, accessible, and likely to shift in large quantities.
Well, “C’est La Vie” is the sound of an artist being able to juggle both those differing approaches in one song, a meeting of sonic worlds, the attraction of opposites. There is a delicacy here, an agility to the playing, shimmering cascades of guitar topped by his confident yet considered vocals. These elements come right out of the serious folkies’ bag of tricks. But this is balanced by hints of electronic inclusions, spacious beats, and sonic washes, all the territory of the indie-pop writer.
But the biggest sell here is the sheer infectiousness, accessibility, and intimacy of the song. Even with all that clever construction and deft delivery, not something that has ever bothered the mainstream that much,“C’est La Vie” sounds nothing less than this year’s biggest chart contender. Not just that, but one of those songs that no one saw coming, something that crosses over from the more mature side of the musical game to show all the throw-away popsters and style-over-substance minstrels just how things should be done.
“C’est La Vie” is that rarest of things, a song with substance AND style, a song with maturity and mainstream appeal. How cool is that?
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