Year lists (2)

All FillesSourires-contributors (me, FransS, Sky and Maks, see below) are posting their year lists in the upcoming days. Plus, we asked several regular guestposters and FS-fans to send in their lists too. List-o-mania, baby!

1. Marie Pierre Arthur – Aux Alentours.
MPA isn’t the antithesis to Coeur de Pirate (my #1 of 2011), but there are obvious differences. Less tattoos, more guitar than piano-driven and in lyrics and feel slightly older, more mature. Aux Alentours is MPA’s sophomore offering, with hard-hitting hits (Si tu savais) and almost esotheric ballads (A Partir de maintenant). It’s the French(-Canadian) album I played the most in the past months, the one that kept on giving, the one that left a mark.

2. Fanny Bloom – Apprentie Guerrière.
‘Lio-esque’ is the penultimate compliment on this blog (the biggest is of course ‘Gainsbourgian’). On Parfait Parfait, Fanny’s almost out-Lio’ing Wanda de Vasconcelos, and that’s REALLY saying something. Yes, I do miss La Patère Rose, but this plaster covers that wound quite nicely. Merci Fanny.

3. Céline Mastrorelli – Elle Était Une Fois.
Speaking of Gainsbourgian, listening to Céline’s duet with Joseph d’Anvers (T’oublies or not t’oublies) is like ASMR to me. Goosebumps, hair-raising, butterflies in the belly, everthing. And that’s just one song on this album that is as beautiful as Céline herself.

4. Françoise Hardy – L’amour fou.
Haven’t read the novel that came with this album (waiting for the English translation) but if it is as good as this album, it’s quite a read. Françoise ages with grace, dignity and songwriters who provide songs that fit her like stylish black leather gloves. See Pourquoi Vous? here.

5. Melody’s Echo Chamber – s/t.
This is cheating a little, because there are more English than French tunes on this debut. But hey, she’s called Melody! She is French! And she sings really, really husky! And I simply ADORE this kind of shoegaze with electronica with Gainsbourgian touches.

Bubbling under: Francoiz Breut, Emily Loizeau, Barbara Carlotti, Liza Manili, Olivia Ruiz and Mademoiselle Nineteen.

Merci for yet another hoarse voices-filled year. Keep it up!
Guuzbourg

Written by guuzbourg

French girls, singing. No, sighing. Making me sigh. Ah.

This article has 4 comments

  2. SteveinSoCal

    Melody’s Echo Chamber is kind of cheating (then again Guuz’s blog so Guzz’s rules), but having just listened on Spotify it’s an excellent album, regardless of the language. Melody must have an older brother with a pretty mean alternative-80’s collection. There’s nods to Claire Grogan, Beth Gibbons (Portishead)and if Souxsie ever inhaled helium, well… I wonder if Talulah Gosh ever sang in French? If only Montreal’s St. Ange had they’d have made my list!

  4. Iris

    In spite of all your enthusiasm, Fanny Bloom’s album is quite hard to find. It’s not available on Itunes. She must be a very underrated artist!

    Thank you for posting your yearlist and all the other updates throughout the year. I’m a big fan! I’m a French teacher and this is how I keep up with the language (and good music:))