Yearlists (8)

bands_liminanasWhen starting to think about 2013, my first thought was that it wasn’t a good year at all. No highlights, disappointments, a meager year in the FS history.
I listened to everything again and started making a shortlist, with about 20 names.  And then the other year lists appeared. 42 different names (!) of which only 10 made my shortlist….
Maybe 2013 wasn’t that bad overall, and can we hail 2013 in the future as one of the most diverse years in FS history.

So apologies to Vanessa Paradis, Pendentif, and Laurence Hélie who were bubbling under, but here’s a yearlist with a lot of new names…

10. Carla Bruni – Little French Songs
Comeback album of the former French First Lady. All political fuzz set aside, it’s still Carla Bruni, people!
09. Marilou – Au Milieu De Mon Écart
08. Ottilie – La Histoires d’O2 – XIIII
Belgian singer with a  special album, that stayed a bit under the radar. See more here
07. Sarah Olivier – Pink Galina
06. Ariane Brunet – Fusée
05. Sophie Maurin – Sophie Maurin
04.Sally Folk  – Confection
03. Angèle David-Guillou – Kourouma
02. Riff Cohen – A Paris Surprising album. the title song (here) makes me happy everytime I hear it.
01. The Limiñanas   – Costa Blanca
Gainsbourg with guitars.. Wonderful album! (and in january they will come to Holland. Wonder how the will perform life!)
[couldn’t find a clip of their neiw album, so here is an older one!]



Riff Cohen

Riff CohenGilad SasportaOriental trash pop. Les Calamités, bellydancing. Keren Ann with a mohawk. If your curiosity is tickled by these descriptions, be sure to try Riff Cohen‘s blend of fuzz-drenched, French tales of 1001 Night. She’s from Israel, studied music in Paris and is very proud of her Tunesian roots. Her album’s just out, I missed out on her first single, A Paris earlier. Shame. Riff’s voice is highly charming, her songwriting’s a bit naive or, one could say, close to 60s YeYe. Most songs on Riff’s album are in French, some in Hebrew, other in Arabic. At times, I thought back to Sapho, the Moroccan-French singer who also blended North-African influences with French-oriented pop in the 80s and 90s.
I’m expecting that, because of Riff’s exciting mix of styles and her looks, she could do well outside of France.

Interview in Haaretz HERE. Another nice interview HERE. Video for J’aime HERE