By Jason Paul
Crossovers tend to be dubious. Michael Jordan, to baseball, Arnold Schwarzenegger to politics, William Shatner to poetry, enough said, really. So it would come as no surprise for a French Canadian rock band to botch a transition from French to English. However, Projet Orange’s sophomore release Megaphobe proves the French truly are cunning linguists.
Their completely French debut release was very successful in “La Belle Province”, but apparently these guys decided to actually make some money and release an English album. Megaphobe is exactly that–a moneymaker. This is an album obviously targeting a certain demographic, namely that 12-20 niche. The sound is predictable and safe, sitting comfortably between soft-core and hard-core, you might even call it medio-core, actually sounding like a toned down Linkin Park. But you can hardly blame the guys, this kind of transition is usually a huge gamble especially when their whole mission statement is to get as much radio play as possible.
There are definitely some high points on this album. The vocals of Jean-Christophe Boies have a sort of haunting effect with some nice falsettos and the lyrics are inventive and unpretentious. Most of the songs are catchy, but the four French language songs are probably the best tracks on the album.
If you’re looking for something groundbreaking this probably isn’t your best bet. For taking their chances however, and coming up with a solid album, kudos must be given to Projet Orange.