Ensemble

Sublime eccentricity. Motorcycle romanticism. Nice ways of describing Montreal-based (but born in Toulouse) Olivier Alary, mastermind behind Ensemble. Alary worked with Björk, Lou Barlow and Cat Power. On the upcoming single, Dominique A(né) is guestvocalist. Is it postrock? Is it orchestral chanson? It’s modern, that’s for sure. Excerpts is the 3rd album Alary made under the Ensemble-moniker, but the first featuring French songs. Darcy Conroy (pictured) is providing the female vocals. Alary sings a couple of French songs, Conroy one, the beautiful-sad Les saisons viennent. A song to pamper your winter depression with. On the first single of the album, Darcy sang an odd but good cover of UB40’s Food for Thought. That song (from the days UB40 was actually GOOD) slags off Margaret Thatcher for cutting famine relief-funds for Africa. But in this saxy arrangement, it gets more mythical. Phantasmagorial. Where did I put my magical lantern?

Ensemble – Les saisons viennent
Ensemble – Food for thought (UB40 cover)

Perfect Japan/Mick Karn

Something completely different, yet great music: art-rockband Japan and their bassplayer Mick Karn. The latter passed away on Jan. 4, I compiled a musical tribute featuring my fave Japan-tracks like Ghosts and Visions of China, Mick’s solowork, songs he played on by Kate Bush,  Joan Armatrading and Gary Numan and other projects like the short-lived supergroup Nina (with Kate Pierson from B52’s).Karn and Japan are the ones who learned me to listen to other sounds, different spheres. HERE.

La Femme

La Femme is a Parisian quintet who play lo-fi surfrock with new wave touches – think Liminanas fronted by Lio. Had a hard time to find answers to some questions about this band. Like: what are the names of the bandmembers? Why are there mostly four people in band pictures? Is the hot blonde in these pictures (scroll down) an official bandmember? Why isn’t she in this picture? Are these La Femme-bandmembers having sex on video (VERY nsfw)? Some answers can be found in this interview – it seems the guys use various female singers, and there’s a Marlon and Sam in the band. The mini-album they released sports good songs. Sur la planche is the key track, this is how lo fi surf new wave baby pop should sound. Could be the start of something beautiful. The cover of their album is of course a reference to this painting. Hey, here’s a thought, how ’bout a festival featuring La Femme, Lafille and La Fiancée?

La Femme – Sur la planche

Souvenir

Souvenir,  our beloved Spanish duo who changed from sweet sighing French pop to full blown sexy French retro-disco, made a new single. It features three songs, including a cover of Wanda Jackson’s Funnel of Love. Aime-moi is the earcatcher, reminiscent of early Vive La Fête, with a big phat bassline. Patricia still has that voice, the kind that makes your spine tingle from top to bottom and back. It’s for sale in all good digital stores, but also on coloured 7-inch vinyl. Go here to buy. And be sure to check out Souvenir’s labelmate Klaus & Kinski, a Spanish band featuring the superlovely Marina.

Souvenir – Aime-moi

Lily Frost


Canadian singer Lily Frost – I’d never heard of her, but this sultry soulful singer released six albums already. And she sings (partly) in French! FS-reader Martin wrote a guestpost:

Lily Frost (Lindsey Davis) is a Toronto-based songwriter and vocalist. With her soulful voice she can whisper seductively, but also keep afloat on top of a booming arrangement. After two albums with ’60s inspired popsongs she started working with José Miguel Contreras (also her husband), releasing four more cds. Contreras has his own band, By Devine Right, best known for ex-bandmember Feist. On Frosts 2008 album “Lily Swings” (where she performed songs from the repertoire of Billie Holiday) she recorded with the late Ray Condo’s band The Swinging Dukes.
In 2009 she received a Gemini nomination for the score, which she co-wrote, for the Canadian hit TV show “Being Erica.” Lily also co-wrote the theme song “All I Ever Wanted to Be.” 2009 also saw Lily expand her fan-base in France, embarking with a four-piece band on two sold-out tours in a year, drawing praise from French critics for her “mastery of ambiance,” her “wide palette of emotion,” and the powerful singing voice and strong personality of a woman who clearly “knows where she’s going.”
For “Veridian Torch”, her sixth solo disc, Lily has tapped into the wilderness of Canada, of ancient trees, terrifying electric storms, irritating insects, and romance with the land, as expressed in French poetry. Lily and her family moved from downtown Toronto last year, to a forest outside the city. But the songs were all written and recorded before that. It was a case of life imitating art: “The songs magically drew us back to nature,” she says. The two French songs “Chalet du Bois” (with some help by Marianne Dissard with the lyrics) and “Verlaine” are deeply felt and very poetic. Anyway – my favourite song is “Thompson Pines” with the most beautiful melody I heared last year.

Lily Frost – Thompson Pines
Lily Frost – Chalet du bois
(see the video)

Comme un boomerang

In other news: a new compilation featuring inédits by Serge Gainsbourg will be released next month. A single, Serge singing Comme un Boomerang, is released today. He wrote the song for Dani‘s Eurovision Songcontest appearance in 1975, but it got rejected. She recorded it with Daho in 2001. Read all about it HERE. (Thx Bruno!)

See the tracklisting of the new box here. This is the official release of the Boomerang-demo by Serge. It was available on the interwebs earlier, here.

Serge Gainsbourg – Comme un boomerang
Dani & Daho – Comme un boomerang
Feist, Gonzales, Dani – Comme un boomerang
Etienne Daho – Comme un boomerang (live)

Les sucettes

Les sucettes, written in 1966 by Serge Gainsbourg for France Gall, is without a doubt the best song ever about a girl sucking on a anis-filled lollipop. You don’t need a dirty mind to get the sexual innuendo – though the underage France Gall had no clue. Nor did her minders. Or maybe they were in on the joke Gainsbourg pulled. France did not take it lightly, as this interview-clip shows (in short; she distrusted men ever since). Yesterday somebody asked me about Les sucettes covers. Were there any good ones? To be blunt; no. France’s version (and the duet-version with Serge in this video) was never topped. There are some pretty weird ones out there. I can’t decide which one is the most disturbing: this puppeteer-version, this (gay?) choir version or this Japanese rework (also posted below). This is from Japan as well, and again pretty outthere.
Below are a couple of versions I collected in the past years. I know there are more (a dull cover by Les Tres Bien Ensemble), but if you know of a really good one/odd one, please contact me!

France Gall – Les sucettes
Serge Gainsbourg – Les sucettes
Nezhnoe Eto – Les sucettes (Russian version)
FN Guns – Les sucettes (metal version)
Hanayo – Les sucettes (weird Japanese version)
Lio – Les sucettes (close-to-the-original version)
Jumpin’ Quails – Les sucettes (jumpstyle r&b version)
The Lovejoys – Les sucettes (loungepop version)
Hbsk – Les sucettes (electronic dreampop version)
Patrick Péronne – Les sucettes (cocktailjazz version)

Les Surveillantes

Country-folksters Les Surveillantes are from Winnipeg, Canada. I was introduced to their music via Sound Bites (who lists French-language albums by artists I’ve never heard of, which is nice). They released their first album last year.  This bio tells us more about the band, though I have to say the names mentioned don’t ring a bell. I really like Danielle’s strong voice (she doesn’t sing on all songs), I’d say she’s more soothing than sexy (think La Grande Sophie). Whilst singing a lullaby like Voyageuse, that’s fitting.

Les Surveillantes – Voyageuse

Les Bellas

Things are getting fuzzy here on FS. Fuzz-guitars, that is. Les Bellas hail from Perpignan, they released their debut last September. They have an interesting line-up: a female drummer (Marie), a female singer (Nadege, who also plays the trumpet) and Lionel (Marie’s brother) and Giom on the guitars. On their debut, they play two covers (by Wanda Jackson, and Gentlemen) but mostly sweet, buzzing songs of their own. Er, make that the past-tense, by the way. because Les Bellas aren’t around any more. They disintegrated when a record deal fell through, or something. Read about that here.
Shame, ’cause a song like Belladelic is great. Then again, members of Les Bellas now form The Liminanas, who released their debut in October. And they’re still around. And sing more songs in French. So there.

Les Bellas – Belladelic
The Liminanas – Je suis une gogo girl

2011: A New Hope

While we are waiting for the new Daphné-album, the new Keren Ann cd, the new Marina Celeste album, the official release of Marianne Dissard’s album (that you can buy straight from the source as well) probably new music by Coeur de Pirate and hopefully new stuff by Valerie Leulliot, Rose, Carmen Maria Vega, Carine Erseng and Camille, we’re entering the new year with some new names. Minimal is a Vive La Fête-styled duo that make electropop like a four-year-old makes a drawing: messy but fun. They do two covers, of AC/DC and Pizzicatto Five, but I’m posting their bubbly Surmoi. Download their album for free HERE.
Emilie Proulx we know, the Quebecoise singer-songwriter likes to take it s-l-o-w. Dream folk, she likes to call her music, I’d throw in fellow countrymen Cowboy Junkies as a reference. Together with Genevieve Toupin she made a live EP that’s up for grabs for HERE, just name your price. I really dig the sultry closing track. Attention: the downloadlink could end up in your junkmail box.
Music-wise, Julien H. Andreani is a bit too poppy for me. But you might want to give his tracks a try, you can download some for free. HERE.
Not free, but noteworthy nonetheless is the debut-album by Margaux Simone. She’s an artist on the crowdfunding My Major Company (also home of Gregoire, Joyce Jonathan and Marie-Amélie). Margaux is from Marseile, her dad worked with rapper IAM and fellow wordsmith Akhénathon is a friend, which explains his role on the album. Sheryl Crow, Zazie and La Grande Sophie are mentioned as references, I’d say she’s a more folky Emma Daumas. Pleasant voice, talented, but her album misses one or two killer tracks. Still, one to watch.

Margaux Simone photo by Bernard Benant, take from here.

Emilie Proulx – Si tu penses à moi
Minimal – Surmoi
Margaux Simone – Nana