Musique

Les Sœurs Calamites

  • Posted on 17/09/2012
  • /Under Musique

Quatre filles. From Toulon respectively PACA, short for région Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. The Calamity Sisters are Marion (voix, g.), Laure (voix, g.), Angie (voix), and Amira (percussion). Their self-produced premier album Wakin’ Up is chock-full of irresistible barbershop harmonies – think Andrews Sisters, think Chordettes or Puppini Sisters. Last not least, the album features a highly alluring adaptation of Monsieur Gainsbourg’s La Javanaise, written originally in the early Sixties for Juliette Gréco and covered probably a million times – this one being one of the finest versions in a long, long time, tender, sexy, and with a late nite warm lips denouement that turns fingersnipping effortlessly into a dream you never knew.

Calamity Sisters – La Javanaise

Kumisolo

  • Posted on 17/09/2012
  • /Under Musique

Former Konki Duet member Kumi Okamoto releases a new EP next month. On Soundcloud you can hear the first new track by this Japanese honey-voiced singer

Emily Loizeau

‘Tyger, Tyger, burning bright/In the forests of the night.’ William Blake’s famous poem The Tyger is cited in the first track of Emily Loizeau’s third album, Mothers & Tygers. A very delicate, folky affair with English and French songs. She has a French mamam and an English dad, on her earlier albums she sang both in French and English. At first, she wanted to make an English album. But later on she decided not to go against her bilingual upbringing. Family, the relationship between mothers and daughters and the poetry of William Blake (read to her as a little girl by her grandmother) are recurring themes on this album. Em’s a mom herself, which made her think back of her own childhood and the tiger-like wildness she felt back then. At least, that’s what she says in this interview.
Emily sings two duets, one with Camille, and another (Blake’s The Angel set to music) with Herman Düne’s singer David-Ivar Herman Düne – both work very, very well. Because of Loizeau’s roots, you never cringe when she sings in English, her beautiful, slightly hoarse vocals are set to banjo’s, strings, acoustic guitars and percussion. Lesser leftfield sounds then on her sophpmore album, more restrained. Not the all-out party folk of, say, Mumford and Sons. But more like in earlier single Vol le chagrin des oiseaux.

Emily Loizeau – Tyger

Amelie Veille

Guestpost! Dave on yet another beauty from Quebec: Amelie Veille.

One of the nicer things that can happen on any given day is coming across a new album by a favorite artist who you thought had stopped recording. I think I can be forgiven for thinking this, as Amelie’s last CD, “Un Moment ma Folie”, was from six years ago. Amelie’s on the folk side of rock, a pretty singer-songwriter with girl next door looks (well, I wish she was next door, anyway), a soft voice, and an acoustic guitar. Her first two albums were a bit on the melancholy side, from her own description, but even so most of the songs stay upbeat in tempo. Amelie’s new CD, Mon coeur pour te garder, strikes out in a different direction, light-hearted and fun. (Video here, nice article here) Here are three favorites, one from each of her albums.

Now if only Adrienne Pauly would finally, finally come out with a new album.

Amelie Veille – Mon coeur pour te garder (original here)
Amelie Veille – La main sur le carreau
Amelie Veille – Je voudrais te dire

Amelie-les-Crayons

  • Posted on 06/09/2012
  • /Under Musique

Thought we’d lost her, but no, Amelie with the crayons returns with an new album, out October 8. Preview on Bandcamp:

Dawn Landes

A Kentucky-girl with a husky voice who fell in love with France, who learned to speak French by listening to French music and finally released a French EP. Dawn Landes‘ story in a nutshell. The countryfied singer, who released two albums on France-based label Fargo, got help from (among others) Karen Lohier of Katel, Tunde from TV On The Radio and Matthew C. from Nada Surf. With the latter, she sings a pretty duet. The EP closes with a Georges Brassens cover, and features touches of doo-wop, country, jazz and Françoise Hardy-style weepers. Not all songs are great (not a big fan of La Vie Au Lasso), but that duet is just lovely. The EP comes with a book of illustrations by Dawn.

Dawn Landes & Matthew Caws – L’ingénue

Liminanas

If Serge Gainsbourg had written songs with The Velvet Underground, it might have sounded like The Liminanas. Somebody else wrote that, but it’s a great way to describe the sultry, fuzz-drenched basement-sound of the trio from Perpignan. Their second album Crystal Anis is out, and the second you hear the bass in Ballade pour Clive, you’ll get the Gainsbourg-reference. This is music to listen to with darkdarkdark-shades on, while Super8-porn is being shown on the screen in the humid cellar, the leather-clad crowd is getting anxious yet you’re keeping it cool. You might dance. Horizontally or vertical, maybe both. Gimme another shot, barkeep!
See a video for an English track from their debut album here.
Listen to their Beach Boys cover here

The Liminanas – Ballade pour Clive

June Caravel

  • Posted on 25/08/2012
  • /Under Musique

So this is how the story goes: “For June Caravel, a vocal explorer born and raised in Paris, singing in English had always been the obvious, natural way. She even left France for the UK in 2009 to stop hearing that nagging, repetitive question: “How is it you don’t sing in French?” Until that fateful day in 2011 she met compatriot Pierre Carrey. After an evening of boozing and singing where there was no stopping June’s vibrant adlibs, Pierre jokingly told her ‘J’te ramène à la boutique, si tu continues’ (I’ll return you to the store if you carry on) which sounded like perfect lyrics for a new song in French.”
To cut a long email short, June (who we know from her very cool London tribute) then recorded songs in German, Italian, Spanish and she even re-did a cantata by Bach – using only her voice. If this all sounds a bit Camille to you, it’s ’cause that’s an obvious reference. But June’s June, not a copycat. She can arouse you, make you wanna dance, make you smile, tap your toes, etcetera. I’m in awe.

Listen to some excerpts here.

June Caravel – J’te ramène à la boutique

Granville

Californian fuzz mixed with Normandic charm – that’s Granville. A quartet, Melissa Dubourg is the female singer. They made a few singles, notably Slow (great video), and the just released Jersey b/w La Ville Sauvage (see Bandcamp). They cite Best Coast and Françoise Hardy as influences. Keep an eye on’m! Listen to a Filles & Garçons remix here. Acoustic session here.

Granville – La ville sauvage

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