Automelodi - S/T (2010) [Wierd] // Grade: B+

If Veronica Vasicka is leading the minimal synth sound from the labelhead (and sometimes DJ) side, then Montreal’s Xavier Paradis might just be her live music counterpart. A long-time music veteran, Paradis previously recorded under the name Arnaud Lazlaud and re-emerged under the moniker Automelodi last year to release the chilling Fair ses Courses EP. Paradis now follows up with a self-titled, full-length album that balances icy and contagious.

Paradis’ beats draw equal influence from coldwave and classic Italo disco, a mixture of influences that produces an album existing in its own foreboding little dancefloor. The minimal, low-toned electronics of opener “Schéma Corporel” avoid heavy-handedness, accented by the bright clang and pulse of classic-influenced, modern disco notes (see: Classixx). “Rayons De Rien” references the New Romantics, but paired with the vivid synth swells is an assaultive percussion line that sounds like someone beating a piece of sheet metal with a rubber mallet.

Paradis sings in French across the majority of the album, and after acclimating yourself to this, it becomes another chapter in the allure of his sound. His words waver slightly, then take off, lush with romanticism and spectacle. He successfully bridges an expanse of vocal moods from bright and upbeat (“Buanderie Jazz”) to tense (“Stylo-Bille”) to high drama (“Airline”). His voice often seems just put of arm’s reach, adding an air of mystery that drags you closer.

Paradis creates sounds that are culled from historically significant electronic music movements, and with Automelodi he balances the danceability of disco with the mystery of coldwave all filtered through the romanticism of his own voice.

- Scrooge McFuck