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Guestposter David rounds up his favourites of the year:

Like Steve, on this side of the Atlantic release dates can be problematic. Melanie Pain’s “Bye Bye Manchester” made a yearlist last year, but it shows up to me as a 2013 release. Far and away the number one album for me this year, but there are many other good ones. I thought it would be tough to come up with 10. I’ve had to trim instead. Perhaps not such a bad year for filles, looking back.

11. Elsa Kopf, “Marvelously Dangerous”. The English title misleads a bit, as unlike Elsa’s “Acoustic Joys”, here she sings mostly in French. I confess some of Elsa’s singing is almost too perfect and sweet for me, but every time the music shuffles to Elsa I find myself stopping what I’m doing to listen anyway. A puzzlement. My favorite, “un chat, un chat”.

10. Clarika, “La Tournure des Choses” – Clarika will be familiar to long time “Filles Sourires” fans, but somehow her latest effort escaped mention. Clarika continues to surprise hitting it perfectly with “C’était Mieux Avant”.

9. Maude, “Le Temps Inventé”. First newcomer on this list. Maude’s voice drives every song, clear as a bell, calling Marie-Pierre Arthur to mind, but Maude stays more towards the folk side, as you might expect of a Granby music festival participant. A pity, in a way, as “Coeur En Boule” is far and away the best song on this CD, but I like most of the songs on this CD. Here’s “Si Le Monde” .

8. Mell, “Relationship Cheap”. Drifing away for a moment from the sweetness and light side, clearing whatever the ear’s equivalent of the palate might be, Mell put out another hard driving rock album. “Oh Mon Amour” works on a variety of levels, with Mell’s signature guitar and vocals. Here’s a video of “Un Pied Dans Le Vide”.

7. Anik Jean, “Schizophrène”. Drifting even further away, Anik continues her Goth/heavy metal ways. Anik’s another favorite, and her fourth album doesn’t disappoint, with “Tu Es Mon Enfer” as an example.

6. Maissiat, “Tropiques”. Amandine Maissiat, previously of Subway, put out her first album early in the year. “Tropiques” includes songs from her previous EP, but with enough new material to make the purchase worth it. Here’s a video of Maissiat performing “Havre-Caumartin”.

5. Auren, “J’ose”. If you like Austine, there’s a fair chance you will like Auren. Girl/guitar/acoustic with low voice that carries her songs effortlessly, capturing attention like a whisper in the ear. And she’s pretty, of course. Another video here.

4. Les Soeurs Boulay, “Le Poids Des Confettis”. I can’t add anything more than Steve has already said. A favorite. Recommended.

3. Robi, “L’hiver Et La Joie”. When I first heard Robi thanks to Filles Sourires last year, I kept a close eye out for Robi’s first album. Wow. The first three songs on this CD got a lot of air time with me this year. Video: Où Suis-Je .

2. Marie Cherrier (pictured above), “Billie”. I confess I sometimes can’t tell one pretty voice from another. I can always pick out Marie’s, though. My favorite: “Scotch”.

1. Moongai, “Cosmofamille”. I’ve only had this CD for this past month, but it’s already got a lot of play. One of those albums you can play straight through without wanting something different. When Guuz says “this could be big”, I pay close attention. Moongai’s electronic/pop style reminds me somewhat of a U.S. duo, “Bitter:Sweet”. Here’s Cosmofamille.

The end is nigh, that’s why we like to round things up. The FS-editors and regular guestposters made up their minds about what they thought were the bestest French albums and/or songs of the year.

Here’s Guuzbourg’s list:

1. Pendentif – Mafia Douce.
It’s retro, yes. But the combination of ‘American beaches and British winds’ worked like a charm. I played this album to death, and I never got bored.

2. Vanessa Paradis – Love Songs.
Of all the Big Stars who released albums in 2013 (Benjamin Biolay, Elodie Frégé, Alizée, Axelle Red), Vanessa took the biscuit. Maybe not as solid as Divinidylle, but Tu vois c’que je vois, Prends garde a moi and even the duets with Biolay (who disappointed with his own album) are very, very good.

3. La Femme – Psycho Tropical Berlin
Twannggg! The debut album of this Parisian collective is a wild, weird and wonderful affair, ranging from an update of the surftastic Sur la planche to synthified Si un jour. It’s not a perfect album (too many songs), but the ideas, the sultry vocals and the energy make up for the flaws.

4. Forêt – Forêt.
What Steve said.

5. De La Jolie Musique – Plein Soleil.
One could think that French music is all about re-vamping old ideas – this top 5 is almost completely retrofied. So what, I say. I fell hard for this update of the exquisite, rich soundtrack music of J-C Vannier and Francois de Roubaix, with some John Barry touches.