Though Sarah Nixey is British, she’s a fille to boot, levitating effortlessly between the realms of innocence and lasciviousness, the subversive and the sublime. With Black Box Recorder – assisted by Luke Haines of Auteurs fame and John Moore, ex-Jesus & Marychain –, she recorded three of the smartest, though too much neglected pop CDs of the last decade. French Rock’n’Roll from Recorder’s brilliant second record Facts of Life echoes the spirit of Jane & Serge, London-style, and features even a few lines in French:
Black Box Recorder – French Rock’n’Roll
Solo, Sarah also did a trippy club cover of Francoise Hardy’s hit Le temps de l’amour, written by Hardy’s future husband Jacques Dutronc in 1962, and Ici avec toi, a gauloised-up translation of her original song When I’m Here With You.
Sarah Nixey – Le temps de l’amour
Sarah Nixey – Ici avec toi
Last not least, another of Sarah’s French connections from the compilation The Worst of Black Box Recorder: Her version of Terry Jacks’ weeper superhit Seasons of the Sun – cover of Jacques Brel’s classic chanson Le Moribond – reverberating an entirely different quality: the dizzy state when awakening from a already half-forgotten dream.
Black Box Recorder – Seasons in the Sun
Ever since David Bowie ripped off La fille du père Noël for his Jean Genie, Britrockers have a thing for Jacques Dutronc. Miles Kane (singers of The Rascals, one half of The Last Shadow Puppets) confessed his love for Gainsbourg earlier, and now honours Dutronc by covering Le Responsable – in English. But still. It’s on his just-released Come Closer EP and I think it’s a very good version. Close to the original yes, but energetic and fun. See a good live-version here.
