Cowhand from Quebec

  • Posted on 15/02/2013
  • /Under Musique

Bild 2A mixture between Hank Williams’s sobbing and a damp washcloth, the original schmaltz sound of Charley Pride stormed the American charts in August 1969 with All I Have to Offer You (Is Me); probably ten million Texans bought the record before they discovered on the Johnny Cash Show that the godlike country crooner was one of those guys the Klan had used to deal with in Hank’s golden days. However, over there in Quebec also a French version was released on the aptly named Ranch label, performed by a certain Ray Perry, who was every bit as cheesy as the black Nashville giant himself – but for some strange reason, this time nobody jumped at the irresistible offer, not even when it came from the dollar bin.

Ray Perry – Tout ce que je peux t’offrir, c’est moi

Hotel Morphée

  • Posted on 15/02/2013
  • /Under Musique

HOTEL_MORPHEE_presse2_webA New Canadian sensation, no less. Hotel Morphée, lead by sirene/violinist Laurence Nerbonne, makes arty rock (think Karkwa, think dEUS, think La Patère Rose) that stirs a lot of black and white gothic images, nouvelle vague scènes, long dark hair blown by the wind, that kind of stuff. It’s music that makes you want to wear a black turtleneck or suit up. David Lynch must be an influence. To get the picture(s) watch this bloody video. Histoires des fantomes is HM’s first album, on Bandcamp you can check their first, and also very fine, EP.

Hotel Morphée – Garde à vous

Velvet Goldmine

  • Posted on 13/02/2013
  • /Under Musique

Velvelettes_60sMotown, early Sixties. The Velvelettes were not quite as big as labelmates The Supremes or Martha & The Vandellas, but certainly supersexy, and on their debut single There He Goes they were accompanied by none other than young Stevie Wonder on harmonica. The most popular and best remembered song of Millie, Norma and Bertha was Needle in a Haystack, hitting the US charts in mid 1964. Four of their songs were also cut in French language versions, produced and written by Pierre Berjot in February of ’63 – renaming Motown’s headquarters from Hitsville U.S.A. to Hitsville France for some all-too ephemeral, but highly alluring moments.

Merci à Roy B.

Velvelettes – Je veux crier
Velvelettes – Le Hoky Poky
Velvelettes – Tu perds le plus merveilleux garçon du monde
Velvelettes – Puisque je sais qu’il est à moi

Caroline Lacaze

  • Posted on 10/02/2013
  • /Under Video

OK, so the favela-funk in the post below didn’t go down very well, but how ’bout:

Serge, favelafunk style

  • Posted on 09/02/2013
  • /Under Musique

We’ve heard a lot of tracks with Serge & Jane’s Je t’aime-samples, but I bet you never heard it like this:

Midget!, Holden, Armelle, Mocke

  • Posted on 07/02/2013
  • /Under Musique

1950299895-1No, the 2011 Best-Of release by gorgeous languid, Françoise Hardy-backed-by-Stereolab-sounding French band Holden wasn’t their final hat tip. Though Armelle is now singing in English as Superbravo, and Mocke started a new band with husky Claire Vailler, the oddly named Midget!. The latter released an album last year, I just found out. The songs sound very Holden-y, no surprise: slow, plushy, electronic, well-arranged. Somehow, Claire lacks the sexiness of Armelle, but that maybe just me. Try for yourself on Bandcamp or on the label-site . A Ciel Ouvert is my favourite Midget!-song. Back to Holden: they crowdsourced their fifth album, Sideration, which will be released this year. You can listen to some solid tracks here.

Midget! – A ciel ouvert

Gainsbourg at the start of the 60s

  • Posted on 05/02/2013
  • /Under Musique

FA5395Fremaux & Associes released the second volume (see here for volume 1) of early Gainsbourg tracks plus the bands and artists who either covered his songs, or played his compostions. 58 tracks, 3 cd’s. This includes Serge’s flawless ‘No.4’ EP (featuring Black Trombone, Intoxicated man, Requiem pour un twisteur), several radio performances and songs sung by J-C Pascal, Petula Clark and fresh-faced vocal groups like Les Riff and Les Scarlet. The latter aren’t essential, yet it’s very handy to have them together on one box. I’d never heard of Los Jorge Nova Bossa’s version of Los Cigarillos (an instrumental track) and I think the live-version by Les Frères Jacques of Le poinçonneur is kind of special. But the best, and for me least known track, is Juliette Gréco’s beautiful version of Valse de l’au-revoir.

Juliette Gréco – Valse de l’au-revoir

Paris Blues

  • Posted on 05/02/2013
  • /Under Video

Dalida was the star, Gainsbourg the piano player. Lovely Italian-French collaboration from the completely forgotten »L’inconnue de Hongkong« (1963).

← Newer Posts
Older Posts →