A sequel of sorts to 2006's Sessions, Simple Mind finds Sébastien Tellier revisiting his work from the late 2000s through the 2010s. Even when looking back on more than a decade of music, he remains as conceptual as ever. Tellier unites Simple Mind's renditions of pieces from albums about sex (2008's Sexuality), spirituality (2012's My God Is Blue), visiting far-off lands (2014's L'Aventura), and the comforts of home (2020's Domesticated) with an approach that is indeed simple by his standards. Aside from a few tasteful synths, his voice and piano dominate the album, making for a timeless sound that highlights the gorgeous contours of his melodies on pieces such as "Stuck in a Summer Love." This minimalist take heightens the impact of Tellier's style on "Intromission," where cathedrals of synths convey a lot of drama in a short amount of time, and on the starry mystique of "Comment Revoir Oursinet?," which feels surprisingly lush given how sparse its instrumentation is. Perhaps it's because they're freshest in Tellier's memory, but the pieces from Domesticated -- which appeared just a few months before Simple Mind's release -- are among the standouts. "Domestic Tasks" takes on a new life as a sweeping piano ballad spurred on by a four-on-the-floor beat and clavichord, while panflute-like synth tones give an iridescent glow to "A Ballet." The album's more restrained version of Tellier's music still has plenty of room for whimsy and fantasy; as it appears here, "Divine" is an even frothier trifle than when it was France's entry in 2008's Eurovision contest. Simple Mind offers a slightly different perspective on Tellier's music, but it also reaffirms that he's a mood-maker bar none. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi

1		Domestic Tasks
2		L' Amour et la violence
3		Look
4		A Ballet
5		Divine
6		Intromission
7		Fingers of Steel
8		Stuck in a Summer Love
9		Comment revoir Oursinet?
10		Ricky l'adolescent
11		Against the Law

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