We’re keeping it garage-y (see the brilliant 96 Tears cover below) here on FS today, with ‘Quebec Beatles’ Les Classels. You gotta love a band who dressed all in white, dyed their hair blond and played white instruments. Later on, this sixties-yeye-band dropped the white attire for primary colours. They made a few seasonal songs (here, here), this 1966 song about winter evening on a hip beat is one of the best.
Les Classels – Les soirs d’hiver
Few people remember Detroit all-Latino garage band ? and The Mysterians, though they had a #1 smash hit with 96 Tears on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold more than a million (!) copies in 1966. The 7“ generally is regarded as proto-punk and was also featured on the famous first Nuggets compilation. 12 years later the song was covered by Belgian unknowns Gladys Pink who replaced the delirious vox organ of the original with a vicious accordion and recorded one of the most sensational and completely unnoticed singles ever to come from the Lowlands. No need for French lingo here. The spirit should be enough.
Gladys Pink – 96 Tears
Great year, fantastic filles, awesome albums, terrific tunes. Here we go:
1. Various Artists – Je Deteste Serge. This is it. The (illegal) album that had the highest rotation at my château this year. 19 strikingly artistic and intertextual killer tracks blending Serge G. with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Sugarhill Gang, Biggie, and loads of others. Bâtard Pop Heaven – for download still available.
DJ Y alias JY – Skee-lo and Clyde
2. Ödland – Ottocento. Lorenzo Papace is the mad hatter behind this absinth-soaked, tenderly hypnotic (and quite humorous) 19th-century-fantasy, Alizée Bingöllü (pictured) the most sexy voice you’ll ever hear from behind the mirror. The album ist just like her: Little girl eyes, big girl ideas.
Ödland – De l’autre côte de miroir
3. Élodie Frégé – La Fille de L’après-midi. She can do without Biolay, and easily. A concept album like a trois-accents-promise, much better than its predecessor, amazingly uncompromising, full of high-class songwriting, suspense, and drama. The record that made Guuz a poet. Ravissante indeed.
Élodie Frégé – La fille de l’après-midi
4. Fabienne Delsol – On My Mind. While nobody noticed, Fabienne clandestinely took April March’s place in girlpopdom. Sixties mood, simple but irresistible melodies, lost love dreamscapes, Rick Nelson feel, fuzz guitars and that certain not-so-innocent voice. Only two tracks en Français here. Somebody who cares?
5. Cécile Hercule – La Tête à L’Envers. Lots more versatile and inventive, Cécile is outsmarting everybody’s darling ZAZ by far. Wooing and cooing as a premier art form, and Enfin should have been a huge hit. For the bedroom, and some of those things beyond.
There aren’t that much certified filles fragiles who recorded Christmas-songs, alas. There’s of course Maryse Letarte (who recorded a whole seasonal album), there’s the EP by Tricot Machine, there’s the songs from FS X-Mas Project (Marianne Dissard, Maud Lübeck, Odile & Manou, etc), but other than that it’s mostly very kitschy, Céline Dion-like. This duet between Axelle Red & Charles Aznavour is from a reasonable album called Noël Ensemble that also sports duets between Katerine & Anna Karina and Calogero & Zazie. And a few turkeys.
Axelle Red & Charles Aznavour – Noël à Paris
Remember those December 24 days when you had to earn your presents? When your Mom put on some record and you were forced to sing along to some way uncool tunes about silent nights, trickling snowflakes and the birth of Christ? This year, you can show your kids that Christmas is some serious issue: With Annie Lennox’s brand new album A Christmas Cornucopia, chock-full of devotional, stone cold sober hymns from the eurythmical realm where camp and Kunstlied meet. Caution: Do not play after Christmas dinner. The content of your stomach might take its toll.
Annie Lennox – Il est né le divin enfant
Nice version from 2007:
Tom Tom Club – Il est né le divin enfant
Several FS-readers lists below.
John Holden:
Filles:
1. Lafille – Tout attaché(e). No idea who she is, but heard this on FS. Ceci est mon preferé.
2. Poney Express – Palladium. Didn’t care for their first, but this is much more like it, and holds up to repeated listening very well indeed. (Video)
3. Brune – Brune. As good as the first EP promised it would be. Performance of the year on Taratata too. (Video)
4. Babet – Piano monstre. Je Pense À Nous rests my favorite track this year.
5. Sexy Sushi – Cyril. By turns irresistible and annoying, but more irresistible. (Video)
Hommes:
1. Bertrand Belin – Hypernuit. Never heard of him before. Thisis a magnificent album. (Video)
2 Disiz Peter Punk – Dans la ventre du crocodile. Rapper turns electro with astonishing results. (Video)
3. Florent Marchet – Courchevel. Every bit as good as expected. (Video)
4. Ludo Pin – Le temps nous dira. Ok, this is an EP, but more great tracks on it than on the majority of albums. (Video)
5. Suarez – L’indecideur. Not quite as good as their first, but “Qu’est-ce que j’aime ca” makes sure this gets a mention. (Video)
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Gary Willis:
Filles:
1. Lafille – Tout Attaché(e). Sultry, poppy, punky, sexy. I Wanna be Your Cat? Anytime.
2. Lizzy Ling – No Simili. She’s back – my first discovery via the indispensable FS (I was googling Vanessa Paradis). No Simili is an exotic mix of electro, chanson and the experimental. The beautiful La fille de l’ombre with its sparse electric piano and drumming is revisited in English to close the album. (Video)
3. Emmanuelle Seigner – Dingue. A delightfully pleasant surprise from this actress and model. Great songs including a duet with husband Roman Polanski, Qui Étes-Vous? Pure unashamed pop music.
4. Claire Diterzi – Rosa la Rouge. Another welcome return. Although obviously the music for a play based on the life of Marxist activist Rosa, there are some magical Diterzi moments – the clever percussive montage of Cellule 45, and the sublime J’etais Je Suis Je Seral. Diterzi mixes electro, Arabic, opera and Russian Army chorus with her quirky sound montages. The video for the title track in which she builds an AK47 guitar is awesome – and a reverential nod to protest singer Woody Guthrie’s “This Machine Kills Fascists” guitar. (Video)
5. Lou – Et après, on verra. Dark, minimal, sparse. Intoxicating. (Video)
Regular guestposters and/or French music lovers we love send in their Yearlists. Here are the results:
Mordi, from Blowupdoll:
Filles:
1. Alizée – Une Enfant Du Siecle. A totally underrated album full of retro casio keyboards, dark, moody disco and space-age melancholy. LOVE IT. (Video)
2. Marie Espinosa – la Demarrante. Another album I was obsessed with this year. I love the different styles of music on the album that brings together all the best bits of other french female singers. (Video)
3. Marie-Amélie – Dans Un Vertige. Having only recently been released, this has quickly become a firm favourite of mine. There are a few amazing songs that burrow into your brain and grab hold of your heart then you’ll be singing them all day long. Can’t wait for the next album. (Video)
4. Charlotte Gainsbourg – I.R.M.. I know it was released in 2009 but it was released where I am in the U.K. in 2010. Going to see her perform this year in London further cemented my Charlotte obsession. (Video)
5. Emmanuelle Seigner – Dingue. Not a perfect album, but the influence of Keren Ann results in some great songs. (Video)
And as for my top 5 male albums……..there weren’t any! Nothing has bettered Benjamin Biolay’s ‘La Superbe’ from 2009.
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Thomas Bohnet, from Le Tour:
Filles:
1. Babet – Piano Monstre. Second solo-album of Elisabeth ‘Babet’ Maistre, singer and multiinstrumentalist of fantastic indierockers Dionysos. Beautiful collaboration with her husband Andy Maistre, Dionysos-singer Mathias Malzieu and others. Indie-Pop meets Nouvelle Chanson and soundtrack styles. (Video)
2. Zaz – Zaz. What a voice! Smoky, full, dark and clear – succesful newcomer Zaz (No 1 in France) with songs between chanson, blues, soul and a bit of jazz. (Video)
3. Coeur de Pirate – Coeur de Pirate. This album came out in France in 2009, this year in Germany. Still a beautiful album and Béatrice Martin also showed that she is a very good live performer. (Video)
4. Françoise Hardy – La pluie sans parapluie. A nice guestlist helped the icon of French pop to release this lovely album: Arthur H, Thierry Stremler, Jean-Louis Murat. The title song is a reprise of a song by Munichs French addict/actress/singer Nanette ‘Fouxi’ Kurz. (Video)
5. Emmanuelle Seigner – Dingue. After her rock album Ultra Orange & Emmanuelle another nice try for the actress and wife of Roman Polanski in the music world. (Video)
Hommes:
1. Katerine – Philippe Katerine. Masterpiece by one of the most important songwriters and singers of the French scene. An album full of humour and style, minimalistic pop and elements of French chanson, between musical slapstick and sophisticated pop. Unique, surprising. (Video)
2. Arnaud Fleurent-Didier – La reproduction. He’s a sort of a pop intellectual: AF-D wrote THE French pop song of 2010: France culture, a poetic lament about lost culture over a Gainsbourgesque soundtrack. His songs are inspired by movies, art and literature. Good lyrics and interesting music. (Video)
3. Féloche – La vie cajun. Very special mixture of cajun and indie-pop, French chanson, rock, New Orleans-soul and jazz . Fantastic live act. (Video)
4. Féfé – Jeune à la retraite. Soloalbum of one of the rappers of famous Parisian band Saian Supa Crew. Good mix of hiphop, soul, blues and other stuff. Think of a French Arrested Development. (Video)
5. Coming Soon – Ghost Train Tragedy. French Americana and indie-folk. Reminds me on Herman Düne, Velvet Underground and Jonathan Richman. Seven young friends from of the small city of Annecy near the French alps with their second album. (Video)
Didn’t listen to the guys that much to have an opinion, so I’ll stick to les filles:
We’re making a list, we’re checking it twice (or more), and then we have the best French-language albums of the year. I asked you to send me lists too, and I will post them the upcoming days. Maks and Sky will post their own lists.
Les filles:
1. Elodie Frégé – La fille d’après-midi. I saw Elodie acting in Ozon’s new movie Potiche, playing the young version of Catherine Deneuve’s character and seducing a lawyer in her tight black dress, black stockings and suspenders. She doesn’t speak in the film, but with all that beauty, that isn’t really necessary. But when she does use her voice, redheaded beauty Elodie is even more seductive. See the grand video for the title track of her third album. Listen to her songs about an affair to remember. The memory lasts a lifetime.
2. Lafille -Toute Attaché(e). An album for the yearlists, I predicted in May. And surely it popped up in several lists. With gothic undertones, a healthy Gainsbourg-obsession, two phenomenal closing tracks, a husky voice and one English track that I still don’t like (though I’m a minority), Lafille was the revelation of 2010. See an acoustic session here.
3. ZAZ -ZAZ. Streetwise singer who’s heavily influenced by Piaf and Reinhardt, thus proving that classic chanson still works if you really put your heart ‘n soul in it. See Je veux.
4. Katel – Décorum. Gothrocking fille taking it all up to eleven. Décorum is the best album Mylene Farmer never made. Katel’s duet with Jeanne Cherhal beats any song on Cherhal’s own album. See the title track here.
5. Babet – Piano Monstre. I feel butterflies in my belly when Elizabeth Maistre sings. Sunny, highly imaginative songs. She should refrain from singing in English, but I’m of the forgiving kind. See Je pense à nous here.
Les hommes.
1. Bertrand Belin – Hypernuit. No competition. Delicately beautiful. Video.
2. Bastien Lallemant – Le verger. Sex, death, revenge, cruelty to children, with added desert dust. See here.
3. Robin Leduc – Hors-pistes. Very versatile (folk, afrobeat, rock), very good. One of the best songs I heard all year is this.
4. Karkwa – Les chemins de verre. Criminally neglected outside Canada, Karkwa gives Radiohead a run for their money. Video.
5. Ben L’Oncle Soul – Ben L’Oncle Soul. Cheating just a little, ’cause not all songs are in French. Still, this is how Otis would’ve sounded, had he been from Tours. Great session here.
Though Messieurs Oliver Fröschke and Rolf Witteler operate from Cologne’s Quartier Belge, they have an avid schtick for music from France. True heroes, the German slacker impresarios were among the very first to discover the charm of the Nouvelle Scène Francaise in 2002 – the first Le Pop compilation (featuring Burgalat, Keren Ann and Benjamin B.) was nothing less than a revelation and sold a felt one million copies in my neighborhood. Eight years and four follow-ups later, Le Pop 6 maybe doesn’t contain the same sense of wonder, but a bag of goodies all the way, featuring premier stuff like Tom Poisson’s countryfied „Trapéziste“, Marianne Dissard’s slowly building groove-fest „The One and Only“, and my favorite, Toma’s „Je bois la mer“, a solemn recapturing of old school electronica, and a splendid love song.
Toma – Je bois la mer