Bouche Carrée is the nom de plume of Marseille’s Melanie Perez. She released an EP with disco-infected, yacht-rock referencing French pop, with soulful undertones and a sunny vibe. When I look outside, it’s grey and rainy at the moment (hey, c’est l’automne) but Bouche Carrée makes me feel like I’m floating on an inflatable.
I was raised on a steady diet of Cocteau Twins, Lush and other merchants of ethereal guitars and reverb-y vocals (or reverb-y guitars and ethereal vocals). So Pâle Regard has a special place in my heart, and this new EP is just GREAT. Already posted the highlight (Collation), but this uplifting, catchy track is a delight too:
O’O is the moniker under which Victoria Suter (vocals) and Mathieu Daubigné make crisp electronica-driven pop. In both English and French. On their second album, you can dance to the tracks (‘Tako-Tsubo’), sometimes just a head-nod will do (‘Le jour et la nuit’). Or float away in the beautiful electronic lake of ‘Les os du lac’. Victoria’s husky, delicate vocals blend in very nicely with the bleeps, beats and clicks. For me, ‘Le jour et la nuit’, stands out. There’s a Brigitte (the duo)-ish vibe in this track, I love the little choirs and treated vocals.
Been raving about Meimuna before, and the raving don’t stop. Her gorgeous album is just released, and this tender new single is again a fine example of her sweet approach
Saw Zaho de Sagazan, French chanson’s new hope (first posted about her in 2022), perform yesterday in Amsterdam. Small venue, about 400 people. And immediatly bougth tickets for her upcoming show in March, in the bigger Paradiso venue (1500 people). Zaho will do a proper European tour in 2025, and I urge you to go. This 24-year old, who told us yesterday that she’d never been in love, made all of us in the Amsterdam Tolhuistuin fall in love with her. With her boomin’ deep voice, with her presence, her 3 fellow musicians (all synths and drums), her smile, her jokes, her struggles with the English language.
But mostly we fell in love with her songs, the intensity, the danceability, the mix of sensitivity and escapism: big beats, big emotions. An extended version of her majestic debut album is about to be released, this is a taster:
Elisa Tovati; we loved her second album from 2006, kept following her for a while but eventually lost track. But now, she’s back with help from FS-faves Elodie Frégé and Nouvelle Vague. Together they released a bossanova’d cover of a Veronique Sanson classic. I guess it’s part of a new Tovati-coveralbum.
It all sounds sweet, tender and loving, but what is Anna Majidson really singing?
Je t’ai aimé
Mais maintenant j’ai trop mal
Tu m’as piqué le coeur
Je veux baisser les bras
It’s the end of an affair, she used to love you but she’s hurt now. But it sounds rose-coloured, lovey-dovey. And with hints of soul. I guess Axelle Red is a good reference. Anna released two albums so far, a few singles, in English and French. She sang with Moodoid. It’s mostly easy, breathy and soulful. As we like it.
So, Flore Benguigui has said goodbye to L’Imperatrice, and this Insta-post suggests that the split wasn’t that amicable. No time to mourn, ’cause the band announced a new leadsinger, Louve. We posted a few Louve-singles already on this blog, and she just released the midtempo funk 10X this week. Not unlike the slinky, husky sound of L’Imperatrice, you can see why they’re a good match. Let’s see what happens.
Talked about that typical French early-70s bassline (luscious, poignant) in the post below; most of the time that bass comes with a plushy, also very sexy organ. Think the Bilitis-soundtrack, think Vannier and the Melody Nelson album, think Moon Safari by Air. And think this album by Cesar Precio. It’s the moniker of Brice Lenoble, also part of the band Biche (Air’s weird cousins). On his first album as Cesar Precio, he gets help from likeminded souls (Forever Pavot, Robin Leduc) and comes up with a soundtrack for silk sheets on a sunny seductive Sunday. Even the orchestral parts feel sexy (sorry for the overuse of the word sexy).
This duet (is it a duet? She talks, he sings) with Alexia Gredy is like a lost Gainsbourgian get-together; whispery, that bass again, spacey organ. Dive in this album, because there’s way more. Interview with Cesar here.