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

Paradis video

  • Posted on 18/06/2012
  • /Under Video

No, not Vanessa Paradis, but a soft-spoken French electronica duo. If you’re not into electronica, you might wanna check out the scene starting at 3m31s.

(merci Stereo)

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)

Coeur de Pirate @ FrancoFolies

  • Posted on 17/06/2012
  • /Under Video

Probably her last performance of this year, a very pregnant Béatrice plays @ FrancoFolies in Montréal:

(thanks Mark!)

Primitives, Laura Ulmer

Ah yes, The Primitives. I loved their fuzzy ‘n husky late-80s single Crash, singer Tracy Tracy was on par with her ‘blonde pop’ rivals, Wendy James of Transvision Vamp and Darling Buds‘ Andrea Lewis. Pitchfork rightly said that The Primitives were the role models for current bands like Best Coast and Vivian Girls.
The Primitives reformed and made a new album, Echoes and Rhymes. It features covers of songs sung by girls, like ‘Turn off the moon’ by Lolita-actress Sue Lyons, and ‘Single Girl’ by Sandy Posey. You guessed it, there’s also a French tune (with a heavy accent) – Amoureux d’une affiche, originally sung by Laura Ulmer. The daughter of actor Georges Ulmer, Laura had a few hits in France in the 60s before moving to Canada. There, she recorded some more and acted in (tv-)movies. To be honest, I’d never heard of Laura, I seemed to have missed Mordi’s post on her. Thanks to FS-regular Anna Maria for the tip!

Laura Ulmer – Amoureux d’une affiche
The Primitives – Amoureux d’une affiche

Sky’s verdict: As for a few of the originals, see Legrand Mellon, Polly Niles, Sandy Posey, Adam & Eve or Dutch favorites Shocking Blue. Even FS’s secret mastermind Roy Black only knew four of the originals, and that guy knows everything. The Laura Ulmer cover actually is the least impressive on this gorgeous rarity bonanza of an album, balancing ultra-coolly between Motown copycats, Northern Soul, Garage goodies, girlie psych-outs and Sunshine Pop. Surely the most hip album of the year, including a Jesus & Marychain-like version of Olivia Newton-John’s 1966 debut:

The Primitives – Till You Say You’ll Be Mine

Mari Posa

  • Posted on 14/06/2012
  • /Under Musique

From her Facebook: This is Mari Posa’s world : tangy, particular and cryptic. She began to play music one year ago, and composes between her dark influences (The Knife) and 21st century’s pop music.

Royaume A Stockholm will be out nov. 21st 2011 on Yuk-Fü records. This first EP has been remixed by Mike Simonetti, founder of Italians Do It Better (Glass Candy, Chromatics, Appaloosa…).

Listen to her superhusky voice via Soundcloud.
This is a fun cover of Tous les garçons et les filles:

Lou Doillon

The four-track EP by Lou Doillon (fille de Jane Birkin & Jacques Doillon) is out. It features two versions of the title-track ICU, the brass-y remix by Bright Moments is truly beautiful. Mid-tempo groover Devil and Angel is very much in the vein of her half-sister Charlotte, Questions And Answers is a piano-driven track that gets more interesting when the chorus comes on. As said before, Philippe Zdar and Etienne Daho are the big names behind this EP. I don’t think we’ll hear Lou sing in French on her upcoming album (September), but one can hope, right?
See Lou sing ICU and Questions and Answers live.

Lou Doillon – ICU (Bright Moments remix)

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