Filles Sourires

Two tracks I always play at French parties are Maldon by Zouk Machine, and C’est bon pour le morale by La Compagnie Créole (LCC). The first one is still an energizing piece of 80s zouk, the latter is highly danceable too, but more of an ironic choice. Back in the 80s LCC was an extremely popular band from French Guiana and the French West Indies who scored massive hits in French speaking countries with C’est Bon, Collé Collé and La machine à danser, to name but a few. They still exist and make albums. It was, and is, happy-go-lucky music, danceable yet a bit cheesy because of the synthesized drums and horns. I was surprised to find out, via Oh-La-La’s Natasha, that a bunch of Canadian bands released a LCC-tribute album in 2010. Even Ariane Moffatt is on it, in a drum-heavy cover of La Machine a danser. Not the first time by the way that Ariane sang on music from the Diaspora, earlier she was part of a collective of musicians who raised money for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Together with Moffatt & Yann Perreau, Montréal-based afrobeat band Afrodizz and Mad’moizèle Giraf (never heard of them) take the biscuit with good, danceable and organic sounding covers – the rest is so-so.

Ariane Moffatt & Yann Perreau – La machine a danser

Guestposter Steve on super husky angel Mélanie Scala, aka Porcelaine:

Regular readers may remember Porcelaine’s acclaimed 2010 eponymous EP. Well the band have returned with the release of their debut EP. “La foire aux animaux”. Don’t be put off by the accompanying press release – this album isn’t so much a return to the spirit (over-inflated pomp?) of the 70′s as a veritable tour de force of the “son rock-folklorique quebecois” (yep I made that up – but there is a definite style emanating from this French-speaking province). The album is really a a chance for singer-songwriter Mélanie Scala to demonstrate her Filles Fragiles credentials, one that she passes with flying colours. As alluded to earlier, there are fingerprints from the usual suspects daubed all over this release – Marie Pierre Arthur (Adore), CdP (La foire aux animaux) to name but two, but there’s a certain assuredness in the delivery and the band stamp their own style on proceedings… Check out any of the tracks on Bandcamp – the two above are getting heavy rotation, along with Ange, Aurores Boréales and Offre-lui ton coeur – to name but five(!) from I fear yet another contender for the short-list come years’ end….

Porcelaine – Ange

By the way: Want to hear a jazzy, sultry version of La vie en rose? Go HERE