In Tony Kushner’s iconic play Angels in America, the main character, Prior, experiences visions of angels and embraces his role as a prophet while battling AIDS. This interpretation of death as a spiritual awakening resonates with FKA Redcar, also known as Christine and the Queens or, simply, Chris. Chris, like other great pretenders Prince and Bowie, finds truth in artifice and explores personal themes through the performance and politics of identity.
In the previous album, Redcar les adorables étoiles, Chris created the braggadocios alter-ego of Redcar. This self-dissection delved into the futility of gender and the power of grief through surreal imagery and absurdist performance art. If Redcar represented Chris’s ego experiencing death in a dream state, then PARANOÏA, ANGELS, TRUE LOVE presents the same experience from the soul’s perspective. It serves as a companion piece to the previous album, a concept album documenting grief and self-discovery.
Chris’s sonic and stylistic shift from Redcar is impressive, especially considering the short time span between the two releases. PARANOÏA showcases a stylish, beatnik sensibility, a departure from Chris’s previous work. The influences here lean towards 90’s alternative music, with Chris merging romanticism and moody trip-hop reminiscent of Massive Attack. The latter’s influence is most evident on tracks like Tears can be so soft, which could almost be an interpolation of Teardrops. Chris’s exploration of angels takes shape through abstract collages of static ambience, spoken word, and a touch of Nine Inch Nails’ industrial sound. The theme of true love is expressed through Chris’s impressive vocal range, reminiscent of Enya on Shine or Björk’s chaotic expressionism on Track 10. Let Me Touch You Once surprises with its unexpected combination of dubstep and scuzzy Goldfrapp elements, creating a filthy cabaret number.
Download and stream PARANOÏA, ANGELS, TRUE LOVE here
Given its source material, the album is inherently theatrical. Chris’s melodies are concise and minimal, akin to outsider poetry, capturing the disillusioned spirit of 90’s queer art. Every artistic choice feels purposeful and deliberate, including the select collaborators who join Chris on the album. 070 Shake adds a beautifully balanced alternate presence on the sparkling love anthem True Love, while Mike Dean’s deep, rumbling synths lend the album its gravitas. Of particular intrigue is Madonna, who delivers gorgeously spoken monologues as an angel on three tracks. This choice cleverly utilises Madonna’s pop culture iconography and legacy as an effective conceptual device.
Among the tracks on PARANOÏA, lead single To Be Honest stands out as the least divisive. As part of the overall album, it serves as a necessary aside, featuring classic Christine and the Queens tropes. Interestingly, the song’s core sentiment feels meta, acknowledging the theatrical devices employed throughout PARANOÏA. Chris breaks the fourth wall, speaking directly to the audience with lines like “I’ve been through so much / That sometimes it feels far / It is like a movie played by another star.”
The confessional nature of PARANOÏA introduces a vulnerability that was perhaps lacking from Redcar. This vulnerability does not necessarily imply greater honesty; rather, it showcases a different aspect of the artist’s truth. The album unfolds as more than just another entry in an artist’s discography; it’s revelatory. In a poem supporting PARANOÏA, Chris sums it up best, “All is opera, especially the ultimate gesture.”
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