It was arguably the most anticipated rap album of the summer, and it wasn’t long before Laylow fans were on PLS. After having marked the spirits with Trinity in 2020 (considered by some critics as the best musical project of the year), the artist unveiled this Friday at midnight, the 20 titles of The strange story of Mr. Anderson. An album once again very confusing, which contrasts with the more classic productions that dominate the rankings of streaming platforms.
Encrypted and crammed with musical or cinematographic references, the album deserves special attention for its listening. If Laylow deals with themes such as police violence or domestic violence, he especially deploys a whole new dark universe, fantastic and very introspective, which requires some keys to understanding. Clues sown by the rapper before the release of this musical experience.
A concept album
“I know it’s summer, that you want to listen to rubbish, but let’s focus. “This is how on the eve of the release, Laylow has distilled his advice to his followers on social media, as reported
Mouv.fr. Setpoint ? “No shuffle. »Like Trinity, The strange story of Mr. Anderson is presented as a concept album, with its own universe and consistency between all the titles. It can therefore be listened to in one go, from the first to the last track. An original bias in the age of streaming, where the consumer discovers songs disconnected from their album through playlists or random plays.
Interspersed with many interludes, the pieces thus unroll a single story, that of Jey, a lost, melancholy man, who lives in a violent, leaden universe, where the shrill cries of crows resonate. A character who is none other than Laylow himself (Jérémy Larroux of his real name), and whose fate will change with the appearance of a mysterious voice. But to understand it well, better to have seen The strange story of Mr. Anderson, the eponymous film that preceded the album by a few weeks.
The extension of a short film
At the beginning of June, the rapper unveiled a short film written by himself, a kind of introduction to the musical project. In this video of about twenty minutes, directed by Osman Mercan, we find there this character of Jey, under the features of Laylow, and this same dark world, very strongly inspired by the universe of Tim Burton. Other cinematographic references are hidden there, such as Fight Club and Get out, as the artist recently revealed to Vogue, and which are also all present in the album.
The pitch of the film? An initiatory journey, an inner quest, the story of a lost young man, until the decisive meeting. Because the film contains above all the main key to understanding this complex and complete project: the identity of Mr. Anderson. A pressing and threatening shadow which haunts and abuses him, and which is ultimately none other than his alter ego.
Laylow’s duality
“I had given myself this second blaze, a long time ago, when I was doing other creative things, for example instrumentals, or videos, he developed with Vogue. At first it was like hiding, I think. Then I wanted to honor this hidden side in the new album, so I gave a voice to Mr. Anderson, and then there it was, it was gone. I think that The strange story of Mr. Anderson is a very personal album, so let’s say Anderson acted as a mirror for me… I hope other people can see their own reflection in it. “
A sort of modern-day Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde that Laylow reinvents in his own way, making this evil double a liberating voice. “It’s not the end that matters, it’s the way, the key. Your way. This is your story. So write it down. No matter the cost. Even if it is… strange ”, dictates Mr. Anderson to him on the last track of the album. A project to listen to and listen to again to grasp all the subtleties and virtuosity of the rapper, definitely one of the most creative of his time.