Originally released in 1990, Les Douleurs de l’Ennui is the third album by legendary French Coldwave act Opera Multi Steel.
At the time, the band consisted of the original trio (Patrick L. Robin, Catherine Marie, and Franck Lopez) joined by Eric Milhiet (bass, keyboards, flutes) and Jean-Marc Bougain (drums and percussions).
As indicated on the cover, the album’s title plays on the ambivalence between Les Douleurs (the pains) and Les Couleurs (the colours) de l’Ennui (boredom), with the letters C and D intertwined. Boredom, depending on the person, can be experienced either as suffering or as a gentle melancholy.
This record brings together the essence of the two previous albums, Cathédrale and À Contresens: folk and medieval influences, coldwave, pop… blended and reworked in a free-spirited, eclectic, and sometimes disconcerting way—somewhat at odds with the underground aesthetic of the time, and contributing to the band’s distinctive identity. The album features eleven highly melodic songs in French, with lyrics written by Patrick L. Robin, performed while using a wide variety of instruments, mixing electronics (drum machines, synthesizers…) with acoustic elements (guitars, flutes, dulcimer, psaltery…).
Even at that time, the artwork was an opportunity for the musicians to express their attachment to French history and the arts associated with it, particularly their distant fascination for the Middle Ages. This is reflected on the cover by the image of the actress Catherine Jourdan (1945–2011) dressed as Joan of Arc, photographed and glorified by artists Pierre et Gilles. The five musicians appear on the inner sleeve as avatars created from engravings taken from the Medieval Encyclopedia by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc (1814–1879), the renowned French medievalist architect.
The artwork has been reworked compared to the original edition. This partial reinterpretation was carried out by Brazilian graphic designer Hernan Czauski, who also worked on the visual identity of the two latest Opéra Multi Steel albums.
Les Douleurs de l’Ennui is also the first album to feature the band’s logo, which has since appeared on all subsequent releases up to the present day. The last edition of this album (on CD) was dated 1998.
Remastered by Martin Bowes at the Cage Studio, this reissue presents a tracklist similar to the original vinyl version.
Released April 2026 on Wave Records.
Track Listing:
A1 Le Phare
A2 Les Reliquaires
A3 Nihil Novi Sub Sole
A4 Si c'est Ainsi
A5 Les Douleurs de l'Ennui
A6 Jezabel
B1 Touriste Américain
B2 Existence Rebelle
B3 Premières Loges
B4 Légers et Irréels
B5 Eveil Total
English