Des Visages des Figures

Des Visages des Figures is an album by French rock band Noir Désir. It was released in France and other European countries on 11 September 2001. It turned out to be the band's last studio effort, as two years later the singer Bertrand Cantat was imprisoned for the murder of Marie Trintignant, and after his release the attempts to reunite the band and produce a new album proved unsuccessful (only one new track was released in 2008); Noir Désir was officially disbanded in November 2010.

Des Visages des Figures
Studio album by
Noir Désir
Released11 September 2001
GenreRock
Length68:52
LabelBarclays
ProducerNick Sansano, Noir Désir, Jean Lamoot, Akosh Szelevényi
Noir Désir chronology
666667 Club
(1996)		 Des Visages des Figures
(2001)		 Noir Désir en public
(2005)

The group received five Victoires de la Musique award nominations in 2001, winning both Best Rock Album of the Year for Des Visages des Figures and Music Video of the Year for "Le vent nous portera." During that event, Bertrand Cantat read out a speech on behalf of the band, addressed to Jean-Marie Messier, then CEO of Vivendi, the group that had recently acquired Noir Désir's record company, Universal, and (according to him) used the band's name and reputation to somehow cover up his disfigurement of french culture for the sake of profit, ending with the phrase "and if we are embarked on the same planet, we definitely are not from the same world", sparking numerous commentaries in the media.[1]

In 2010 the French edition of Rolling Stone magazine named this album the 60th greatest French rock album (out of 100).[2]

All music was composed by Noir Désir, where not otherwise specified. Lyrics are by Bertrand Cantat, where not otherwise specified. Manu Chao plays the guitar in "Le vent nous portera", among numerous musicians participating in the album.

Track listing

All tracks by Noir Désir

  1. "L'enfant roi" – 6:03
  2. "Le grand incendie" – 4:36
  3. "Le vent nous portera" – 4:48
  4. "Des armes" – 2:48 - Lyrics: poem by Léo Ferré
  5. "L'appartement" – 4:11
  6. "Des visages des figures" – 5:14
  7. "Son style 1" – 2:06
  8. "Son style 2" – 2:31
  9. "À l'envers à l'endroit" – 4:07
  10. "Lost" – 3:23
  11. "Bouquet de nerfs" – 5:13
  12. "L'Europe" – 23:44 - Lyrics by Cantat, Brigitte Fontaine - Music by Noir Désir and Akosh Szelevényi

Produced by Nick Sansano, Noir Désir, Jean Lamoot, and Akosh Szelevényi.

Personnel
  • Jerome Albertini – photography
  • Denis Barthe – drums, percussion, tambourine, xylophone, sampling, vibraphone, electronic percussion, crotale, backing vocals
  • Greg Calbi – mastering
  • Bertrand Cantat – vocals, synthesizer, acoustic guitar, guitar, harmonica, percussion, piano, trumpet, voices, didjeridoo
  • Manu Chao – guitar
  • Bob "Stiv" Coke – tambourine, voices, gardon
  • Romain Humeau – arranger
  • Jean Lamoot – production
  • Michelle Lewis – backing vocals
  • Noir Désir – production
  • Jean Paul Roy – bass, synthesizer, synthesizer bass, backing vocals
  • Nick Sansano – keyboards, realization
  • Lajos Somlosi – photography
  • Akosh Szelevenyi – bass, clarinet, sax (soprano), sax (tenor), kalimba, kaval, realization, sifflet
  • Serge Teyssot-Gay – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, synthesizer, sampling, backing vocals

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[3] Platinum 50,000*
France (SNEP)[4] 2× Platinum 900,000[5]
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[6] Platinum 40,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References
  • Accompanying booklet / liner notes for the album
  1. Carreyrou, John. "French CEO's Taste for America Is Hard to Swallow Back Home". The Wall Street Journal.
  2. Magazine Rolling Stone, n°18 of February 2010, ISSN 1764-1071
  3. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2005". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  4. "French album certifications – Noir Désir – Des Visages des Figures" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  5. Cadet, Thierry (1 December 2010). "Noir Désir : « c'est terminé »". chartsinfrance. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  6. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Noir Désir; 'Des Visages des Figures')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
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