Musique

Nkake, Air

  • Posted on 04/07/2012
  • /Under Musique

Sandra Nkake, the dark, Cameroon-born beauty with her deep voice, was featured before on this blog when she sang a terrific Georges Brassens cover on her first album. Alas, no French songs on her new one, but Nkake (who lives in Paris) did at some French touches to her songs. Listen to reggae-fied Rock You Well. You know that sample, don’t you? It’s from the Modulor Mix off of Air’s first EP, Premiers Symptomes (also a Serge Gainsbourg-track, the Air-guys are big SG-fans). That Air-song also had a sample, from Gil Scott-Heron’s We Almost Lost Detroit.
See Sandra Nkake’s new single here.

Sandra Nkake – Rock You Well
Air – Modulor Mix
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson – We Almost Lost Detroit

Celine Mastrorelli

A favourite past time is to follow the progress of supersweet singer Celine Mastrorelli. She first popped up on our rader in 2008. Every now and then, there’s a new song on her YouTube-channel. Tracks from her upcoming album Elle était une fois. Good songs, sexy songs, husky songs. With Gainsbourgian influences (I mean, watch this!) This week, Robe de Cocktail (video) is out as a single. FS-reader Gary (who keeps track of CM’s activities even more than I do) compared it to “early Loane”, which is apt. Album’s out 21 September. Something to look forward to. Very much. In the meantime, keep us up to date, Celine. Please.

Celine Mastrorelli – Robe de cocktail

Goûts de Luxe


They made just three (vinyl-)singles in the late 80s, they sounded like a French Propaganda, and they made a videoclip that’s unintentionally hilarious (this one). I do wonder if Jacques le Honsec can watch himself in that video without cringing, or using the facepalm. The story behind Gouts de Luxe (yep, two 7-inch singles from Patrick’s stash again, earlier postings here and here) is kinda funny as well: ‘Jacques Le Honsec’s employment in the record industry allowed him to meet producers in Paris. Thus, a contract was signed. But while recording the first single, “Les Yeux de Laura”, Jean-Éric Montfort was unable to record the parts played on guitar. A studio musician, Kamil Rustam, did it. As a result, Montfort decided to refuse promoting the single as he did not play on it and left the group. In the meantime, Marianna Kliska, who had married Jacques le Honsec, replaced the guitarist.” (From Wikipedia, obviously).
From the three singles, the first was a minor hit, the rest hardly dented the hitparade. They never found the success of, say, Niagara. GdL’s hard-driving Dans un autre pays is the best. High-energy, raucous, thunderous. Omaha Beach came with a cover of Visage’s Fade to Grey (probably ’cause the songs are very similar), you can hear/watch that here. If you have a good mp3 of the long version of Les yeux de Laura (remixed by Dimitri from Paris, apparently), please let me know! Got it!

Gouts de Luxe – Les yeux de Laura
Gouts de Luxe – Dans un autre pays
Gouts de Luxe – Omaha beach
EXTRA:
Gouts de Luxe – Les yeux de Laura (long version)

Elizabeth Anaïs

  • Posted on 29/06/2012
  • /Under Musique

Another great track from the French 80s, taken from Patrick’s stash (who gave me a whole bunch of great French 80s singles, all sung by filles). Beautiful brunette Elisabeth Anaïs had a Lolita-voice, and wrote songs about great novels by great authors. She admired (or admires, for she is still alive) John Fante, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Rimbaud, and named herself after Henry Miller’s muse. She loved wordplay (one single was called ‘Canaille go with you’), so now wonder she worked with Serge Gainsbourg. She sang Mon père est catholique, apparently a very funny song. You can hear a snippet here , I haven’t been able to find the full track as an mp3. Some singles were released on cd, but they’re hard to find. Which is odd, for they were big hits, Anaïs was a juror in 2002 on French Popstars (a tv-talenthunt) and she sang duets with Sanseverino and a track for a movie. On Wikipedia is her most complete discography, even Bide et Musique is incomplete. See/hear tracks on Youtube here, here and here.
I ripped Toutes les mêmes from vinyl, love those breathy vocals, the funky bassline and those typical 80s soundeffects. Plus it’s a catchy song.

Elisabeth Anaïs – Toutes les mêmes

Jolie Jumper, Lazy Lovers


A Canadian all-girl country & bluegrass trio who call themselves Jolie Jumper – how can you NOT fall for that? The girls sing in French and English, they just released an EP (find it on Bandcamp), they sound wonderful together. Oh, okay, they get some help from a bunch of guys, but it’s mainly Audrey PM, Marie-Claude Paquin and Victoria Lord. Look at this lovely video. They list rockabilly as a musical influence, just like Lazy Lovers, also from Quebec. Amélie is the eyecatcher of this quintet, she looks great in her tight red polka-dotted number on the cover of their second EP, the first on which they sing in French. Find that one on Bandcamp as well.

Lazy Lovers – Comme toi
Jolie Jumper – Comme

Fusée Dorée vs No Ninja Am I

  • Posted on 25/06/2012
  • /Under Musique

Here’s an idea for every indie-band: have your new single covered by French girls. Or flamboyant rockers. Or folkies. Or…whoever, really. Dutch combo No Ninja Am I (if you follow Christmas-a-Go-Go, you’ll remember ‘m) recorded Better Mistakes, and then thought of asking as many musicians they knew to record their version. Or just a small part. All versions, bits and pieces were edited into one 28 min-long new version. A bit like this version. One of Holland’s best read industry blogs picked up on it. You can hear Emmanuelle from Fusée Dorée (pictured) is singing a great French version of Better Things, on a ‘pastiche’ that has input from Port of Call, Gerhardt, Max Vanremmerden, Channah, Motel Aurora, Marisela, Martijn Buis, Box of Chocolates, RoSm, Joey de la Fuente & No Ninja Am I. You can listen and/or download for free on Bandcamp. In fact, ALL No Ninja Am I music is downloadable for free!

UPDATE: Emmanuelle put her French (solo-)version of Better Mistakes on Soundcloud, also free to download.

Astrid Adler

Look at those lips. That smouldering look. Astrid Adler released, as far as I can tell, two singles in the late eighties. They were never released on cd. Perds Pas Son Temps is the best of those two, it’s synthesized jazz-pop (think Matt Bianco, Blow Monkeys, Swing Out Sister or, from France, Blues Trottoir), but in a husky, Lolita-esque way. I’ve tried looking up more info about Astrid, there’s an Irish artist with the same name but I don’t think it’s the same girl. Somebody put a bunch of videos on a MySpace account, with more songs. This is the video for Perds Pas Ton Temps.
I got the single from FS-reader Patrick, who gave me a whole bunch of French 80s singles by girls like Astrid, expect more of this in the upcoming weeks. If you have more info on Astrid, please let me know.

Astrid Adler – Perds pas ton temps

New Emily Loizeau single

Kooky French folksinger Emily Loizeau, who made delightful singles like Sister and Je Suis Jalouse, will release a new album in September. First single Vole le chagrin des oiseaux is a very promising first look. Great voice, great atmosphere. Get a preview of her album here. Last year, she released the soundtrack for the movie King Guillaume, with most songs in English. Most songs on that are short, the screwball-comedy-song Girls Like Jerks stands out.

Emily Loizeau – Vole le chagrin des oiseaux
Emily Loizeau – Girls Like Jerks

Christine & the Queens

She looks like the younger sister of Camille, she has a band that’s both ‘fantastique et fantasmagorique’, she performs in a smoking and she covered Michael Jackson, Madonna (while wearing antlers) and Yves Simon. Amazoniaque, a song about a bad dreaming, Amazonian-whipped person by author/singer Simon, is the one French track on her EP, that was released in January. Paris-based Christine & the Queens toured with The Dø, and when you hear her glacial electronic pop, you’ll see why. Lykke Li, Class Actress, Camille + Oomiaq, that part of the pond. A very nice part of the pond, I’d say. Dip in.

Christine & the Queens – Amazoniaque
Yves Simon – Amazoniaque

Harder, Better, Continued

Thanks to FS-reader Brad for reminding me that the earlier post on the Daft Punk-covers wasn’t complete. Five years ago The Brassens recorded this brilliant version in the style of Georges Brassens. Later, they changed their bandname to La Pompe Moderne and recorded an EP and a live-album with covers in the stylo of good ol’ Georges. Last year, they disbanded.

The Brassens – Plus dur, meilleur, plus rapide, plus fort (Daft Punk cover)

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