Seventeen years! The gap that separates VivaManu Chao’s new album, from his predecessor, The Radioline (2007), is almost the year of a generation. The comeback of this iconic figure of the French alternative rock scene, who became an international star several years before the triumph of the French touch, is therefore a major event. Not a revolution driven by the excitement of change, but a comforting reunion. In other words, thirteen new songs with familiar atmospheres, faithful to the ethics and aesthetics of an anti-globalisation troubadour who, after all, had never disappeared.
His presence was regularly expressed on stage, from bars to neighborhoods (“neighbourhoods”) of Barcelona (Spain) –where he has lived since the 1990s– to human-sized venues and atypical festivals around the world. The Franco-Spanish globetrotter regularly sent out sound postcards, made at home or recorded live, posted online for free on his site. He also collaborated with artists he knew (Calypso Rose, Bomba Estéreo, Amadou et Mariam, the Greek Klelia Renesi…), recording his signature, recognisable to everyone.
Even when he no longer gave any news, our collective memory took care not to forget him. Latin rock anthems by Mano Negra (bad life, It’s not enough of you, king of bongo, Man out of time…), his group from 1987 to 1994, to the choruses of his solo career (clandestine, Lie, Will you test me?, I don’t love you anymore…), his repertoire has yielded enough classics to endure through generations. Especially since his art of spinning and hitting tricks has adapted perfectly to the era of social media hungry for musical concision.
Musical ecology
In recent years a number of trends have flourished, illustrated by excerpts from Will you test me?, Bongo Bong EITHER clandestinetaken from the original versions or remixed in accelerated version (speeded up). The last example, a mix of Will you test me? and Missilean Italian hit sung by Frah Quintale and Giorgio Poi, served as a soundtrack for content from TikTokers such as TioMusic and Megaamerican, generating millions of views. It is certainly no coincidence that, with 11.6 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Manu Chao now surpasses Aya Nakamura (9.8 million).
Viva should not reverse the trend. Manu Chao continues to praise craftsmanship, further limiting the number of tools that help him shape his work. A few six strings – often played, elegantly, by the Argentine Lucky Salvadori –, a few percussions, a minimalist trombone here, an accordion and a harmonica there, a touch of electronics even more rustic than a dry guitar… Campaigning for local concerts (now offered as an acoustic trio), Manu Chao records songs that seem to invite themselves into the listener’s home, like a neighborhood or a next-door neighbor.
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