Porcelaine

  • Posted on 06/05/2012
  • /Under Musique

Guestposter Steve on super husky angel Mélanie Scala, aka Porcelaine:

Regular readers may remember Porcelaine’s acclaimed 2010 eponymous EP. Well the band have returned with the release of their debut EP. “La foire aux animaux”. Don’t be put off by the accompanying press release – this album isn’t so much a return to the spirit (over-inflated pomp?) of the 70’s as a veritable tour de force of the “son rock-folklorique quebecois” (yep I made that up – but there is a definite style emanating from this French-speaking province). The album is really a a chance for singer-songwriter Mélanie Scala to demonstrate her Filles Fragiles credentials, one that she passes with flying colours. As alluded to earlier, there are fingerprints from the usual suspects daubed all over this release – Marie Pierre Arthur (Adore), CdP (La foire aux animaux) to name but two, but there’s a certain assuredness in the delivery and the band stamp their own style on proceedings… Check out any of the tracks on Bandcamp – the two above are getting heavy rotation, along with Ange, Aurores Boréales and Offre-lui ton coeur – to name but five(!) from I fear yet another contender for the short-list come years’ end….

Porcelaine – Ange

By the way: Want to hear a jazzy, sultry version of La vie en rose? Go HERE

C’est Magnifique

  • Posted on 28/04/2012
  • /Under Video

The Guuzmeister already posted Jessica Paré’s version of Zou Bisou Bisou, as performed in AMC’s Mad Men, a couple of weeks ago. But there’s more: In season 3’s episode My Old Kentucky Home Christina Hendricks unpacks the accordion and shines with an all- too-short version of C’est Magnifique — actually not written by a Frenchman, but by quite unmatched American tunesmith Cole Porter for the 1953 Broadway super hit Can-Can.

Brigitte Fontaine vs Yacht

  • Posted on 25/04/2012
  • /Under Musique

A brilliant cover of Le Goudron by American hipsters Yacht, a bass-heavy rework of a track Brigitte Fontaine made in 1969 with the Art Ensemble of Chicago. The album Fontaine and TAoC made together, Comme à la radio, is considered one of the most adventurous in Fontaines discography. ‘They stretched the very notion of what pop had been and could be’, this review on Allmusic.com says. And now, you can dance to it too.
See the Yacht-video here.

Brigitte Fontaine & the Art Ensemble of Chicago – Le Goudron
Yacht – Le Goudron (edit)

Ornette

You may know blonde Bettina ‘Ornette’ Kee from her French hitsingle Crazy, or the Nôze-remix. She’s French, but sings in Franglais and now has an EP out with two duets (Mike Ladd, Ours), a new song (see here) and a very, very nice cover of French filterfunkheads Justice’s On’n On (great unofficial video with Monica Belluci). Love it. And yes, her stage name is a nod to free jazz hero Ornette Coleman. In an interview, she said: “One of his songs is called ‘Lonely woman’ and that was what I wanted to call myself when I first started performing alone. But I found that a bit ‘heavy’ and redundant, so instead I plumped for ‘Ornette’ which I also found a very pretty name and it’s also appropriate because even if I don’t exactly play the same sort of music, I also like improvising when I play.”

Justice – On’n On
Ornette – On’n On

Lou Doillon

  • Posted on 23/04/2012
  • /Under Video

I.C.U. is th first single from a new EP (out in June) by Lou Doillon, daughter of Jane Birkin, half-sister of Charlotte Gainsbourg. Go HERE (or here) to see the video. Album’s out in September, produced by Etienne Daho, mixed by Phillipe ‘Cassius’ Zdar.

Lou Doillon – I.C.U.

Catleya

David again, guestposting about his recent discovery Catleya:

It’s hard to find out much about Catleya, a French quartet self-described as “folk rock” but that sails closer to rock than folk. Like Mademoiselle K, lean and sexy, singer Syrile has a strong, low voice, and plays the guitar with a driving rock beat. Cataleya formed in 2002, put out an album in 2007 (“Rien ne Press”, Sony/BMB, video of title track here), and followed with a second album in early 2010, “Cataleya II”, which they independently produced. (A video of “Les Jardins de Kyoto” from “Cataleya II” is here) There’s also “Bang, Bang”, an EP mostly in English, but with one chanson francaise worth a listen, “Mes Salines”. My favorite track of Catleya’s, having played them the better part of this past weekend, is “A folle allure”. Okay, maybe “Tête brûlée”. It’s not an easy choice though – both of their albums are strong efforts, which I found worth giving a listen straight through from beginning to end.

Catleya – A folle allure

Sophie Beaudet

Guestpost! David on Canadian (yes, ANOTHER gorgeous Canadian) Sophie:

Judging from the cover of Sophie Beaudet’s first CD, Garconne, Sophie’s clearly a fille fragile. Unconvinced? Then give the first song “À quoi tu penses?” a listen. Sophie’s from an artistic family and grew up listening to a wide variety of music, including classical and jazz. While in her early twenties, Sophie met famed Canadian jazz singer Ranee Lee, who agreed to teach Sophie the basics of jazz. While personally I like jazz, I am glad it didn’t take over the entire CD, as the music hews more closely to folk rock. The jazz overtones provide additional color, and are especially strong in “Dans les bras de Léa”. Other favorites songs from this CD are “Tu n’es pas à moi” and “Où vont-ils?”. See her perform live here.

Sophie Beaudet – A quoi tu penses?

Emily Loizeau, Berry

A new Emily Loizeau album! In September! Check out the rural preview

In other news: If you have a Facebook-account, you can listen to Berry’s new album here. And if you don’t have an FB-account, try the title track:

Berry – Les passagers

Dionysos, Joann Sfar

  • Posted on 20/04/2012
  • /Under Video

Great video that cartoonist/Serge Gainsbourg biopic-director Joann Sfar made for Dionysos:

Liza Manili

VERY charming, that clip of former model, actress and singer Liza Manili. That smile, that hairstyle, those lips, that voice – oh la la. But somehow I didn’t keep up with the news. Liza made very good EP, released more charming videos, and on June 4th her first proper album is released. The Strasbourg-born beauty, who also plays in a couple Revolver-clips and a Kyo-video, channels early Lio, via Jeanne Cherhal and Emily Loizeau. She duetted with Séverin, and was one of the singers on the Dr Tom project. Yearlist material, you people ask? Who knows. Looks good, tho.

Liza Manili – L’eclipse
Liza Manili & Séverin – Les restes
Liza Manili – Le verdict

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