Yearly Archives: 2014

Belgian actress Barbara Opsomer made an album. Really dig this first acoustic version. More here. And here.

Just like I did in 2011, 2012 and 2013, I started collecting the bestest new French Pop of the year in one Spotify playlist. Go HERE.

Something completely different, but very good nonetheless: Canadian Farfisa-garagerockers Charlie Foxtrot (this is their website, it’s a reference to this). King Khan once sang that he was the son of Jacques Dutronc, Charlie Foxtrot are not so distant nephews. One song’s for free on their Bandcamp. The full album’s on Spotify.

Talking suggestively in French over gentle electronic music. Got your attention? If you’re a Kid Loco-fan, Circé Deslandes (real name: Cecilia Halatre) is a familiair name – he produced her track Ta Bite. There’s hasn’t been a more delicate track about someone’s penis before, I’d say (bite means penis in French, Gainsbourg played with that expression before in Love On The Beat. Geddit?). This time, Marc ‘Nouvelle Vague’ Collin is on board as producer. It’s like a soundtrack, as if Circé reads a filmscript with her compelling, supersweet voice. The movie in my head automatically got vaseline on the lens. What a dreamgirl.
More Circé HERE.

This year is already shaping up to be a great one for filles fragiles, with a number of albums coming out from favorites from years gone by. Perhaps a coincidence with Valentine’s Day, but I have found my first new love of 2014, Julie Brunet, aka Grenadine.
Julie’s been around for a while on the Quebec music scene, playing many concerts, having put out an EP in 2010 with help from Fanny Bloom. Julie’s first full album, “Grenadine”, just came out last month. Julie’s music is varied, but her style is simple, accompanied by guitar, piano and drums, with her voice front and center, unaugmented. She’s receiving some press coverage, here’s a recent interview, where Julie names Vanessa Paradis as one of her musical influences. (Not mentioned in the article, one odd tidbit is Julie has degrees in anthropology and archeology.)

One of the songs from the “Grenadine” album, “Je Veux, Je Veux” reminded me so strongly of a young France Gall, I wondered if it was a cover (it’s not). A free download of “Saint-Flavie”, from her EP, on Bandcamp (see below). Besides “Je Veux, Je Veux”, another favorite is “Petits Mensonges” – tough to choose, as I enjoyed them all.

(Thanks David for this guestpost!)

Nice one:

Another nice one:

How duo’s get together? Here’s one way: “Typsy Panthre began when Allison LaBonne saw John Crozier on the Minneapolis bus route 28D; New Year’s Day of 2008. A fan of John’s songwriting in the likes of Ninotchka, Ninian Hawick, and Muskellunge; and of his guitar work in a host of Minneapolis bands from the garage punk Wahinis, to the bossa-pop Legendary Jim Ruiz; Allison took a seat next to him.
John and Allison were members of the Legendary Jim Ruiz Group, but at different times. Still before, John played guitar in a band (the Hang Ups) with Allison’s sweetheart. Now seated together, owing to the fact that John’s car had broken down and that Allison is a proponent of mass transportation; John inquired, “Would you like to sing on one of my songs?”
Emboldened by the gentle fog of a mild hangover and the dawning of a new year, Allison replied, “Only if we’re starting a band.” “Alright. What will we call it?” John queried.
She was unsure, and her stop was coming up; but Allison pointed out a caption of graffiti across the back of the seat in front of them. “Let’s rhyme it with this,” she divined. John laughed, which made Allison laugh; and ringing for her stop, she exited.
Thusly, in response to the sharpie-scrawled words “Miss me? Answer!” John soon uttered “Typsy Panthre;” and a band was born.” (From THIS website)

Since then Typsy Panthre released an album and a split 7-inch single. ‘Claudine’ is a new track (from a compilation of their label, Korda), my guess is that the song’s about Claudine Longet. It’s their first song in French. Which is nice. One friend of the band thought Claudine sounded a bit like Abba, and e-mailed the song to Abba’s Benny. Which is nice too.