Yearlists (2)

Here is the yearlist of regular guestposter Steve:

Steve’s Transatlantic take on the year’s top Francophone offerings.

Despite it being a bumper year, only those albums that had an official release Stateside this year were considered. This unfortunately disqualified Pendentif’s otherwise excellent “Mafia Douce”, which to date still hasn’t had a US release (hello Discograph – I’m talking to you), while La Grande Sophie’s “La place du fantôme” was actually released in Europe last year… and there was enough new good stuff to not require repeats – however good they were…

Regular readers will once again note that there’s a strong presence from nord du 49e and theoretically eleven recommendations, stretching a top-10 best of slightly…

10 Chantal Archambault – “Les élans”. One of a number of fine country-folk albums released this year. From Marie-Pierre Arthur influenced toe-tappers (“Tomber frêle” and “Les détours”), delightful country numbers (Les ébats” and “Toucher les cèdres”) to plaintive ballads (“Chambre 16” and “Les élans”), Chantal expertly crafted 12 songs that resulted in “Les élans” being deservedly nominated at this year’s Quebec Indie Music Awards (GAMIQ).

9 This entry works on the assumption that two EP’s sort of equate to one album… Budding actress, model and cash-strapped fashionista Chantal Bellavance turned her hand to song-writing and released “J’attends”, a nigh-on perfect example of contemporary electro-pop. Meanwhile, the New Brunswick trio of Julie Aubé, Katrine Noël and Vivianne Roy – better known as Les Hay Babies – gave us “Folio”, a bilingual country-influenced EP, tinged with beautiful Arcadian-French accents, tight harmonies and a rye sense of humour, evident from the plaintive “Obsédée” to the in-your-face “Chu pas une femme a` marier”.

8 Zaz – “Recto Verso”. Thanks to a heart-felt review in Dutch blog Nummer Van de Dag, I finally realised that one Isabelle Geffroy is a proper Chanteuse and that she can absolutely nail chansons (albeit this album’s opener “On ira” is a perfect pop song) as was apparent from both “La lessive” or the Piaf-esque “Je tant escamoté” (complete with haunting accordion). There’s a great warm jazz undercurrent permeating throughout the album that is topped off with a fantastic (and faithful) cover of Charles Aznavour’s “Ouble Loulou”. Besides, if Zaz is good enough for acclaimed economist and New York Times columnist Professor Paul Krugman, she’s more than good enough for my end of year list…

7 Laurence Hélie – “À présent le passé”. A far more expansive album that her 2010 debut, the melancholic and autobiographical “À présent le passé” mined the rich seam of contemporary French-Canadian folk and the jazz, blues and country of traditional Americana. There’s a frightening effortless in the way that Laurence moved from pop-tinged country (“À présent le passé”) to jazz-tinged blues (“De tout et de rien”) and back again. But it was the slower numbers – especially with the reflective “trente ans” and “La rivière” – that really shone. The album is worth the entry money for those two tracks alone.

6 Alizée – “5”. In which the girl from Ajaccio came back with a vengeance. After a bit of a mauling of “Une Enfant du Siècle”, with her 5th studio album Alizée finally hit upon the mature sound and style that she had been striving for. The album’s opener “À cause de l’automne”, with its retro-60’s feel and sweeping chorus, was as good a pop song as was released this year and set the vibe that resonated throughout the album, featuring a great mix of interspersed catchy, memorable up-tempo and slower songs – from “Le dernier soufflé” to the heartfelt and semi-autobiographical “10 ans”. Alizée has always had a great voice, but all too often never the material. With this album she not only made a damn fine pop record, she finally found a platform to express herself.

5 Hotel Morphée – “Histoires des fantomes” For all the great pop, country and folk albums that the French-Canadian Provinces have produced, the French music scene this side of the pond desperately needs bands capable of producing more albums of this calibre. “Histoires des fantomes” was a dark, brooding – yes, gothic – work. The eleven tracks demanded attention – orchestral strings plucked with chainsaws, Stéphane Lemieux’s solid percussion and Laurence Nerbonne’s distinctive flat, haunting vocals – which evoked an undercurrent of menace. While “Garde à vous” was unashamedly poppy, it’s the darker songs such as “Des histoires de fantômes”, and “Dessine-Moi” that really hit home. The album’s final track is the aptly titled “C’est mieux comme ca”. It most definitely is…

4 Marianne Bel – “Le Balcon”. A beautifully delicate yet intricate mélange of folk, jazz, country pop and mariachi-infused folklorico (check out the horns on “Les outardes”), its hard to believe that this polished and professional album was Marianne’s debut offering as there’s a maturity and assuredness far beyond her tender years on display here. The album set its stall with “Blanc et noire”, a bluesy-jazzy “chanson” – Marianne’s vocals over a simple double-bass which are aided by a brass section that really makes the song lift and soar. Every track on this album is a true work of art and a pleasure to listen to – from the deliciously risque “Dagmar” to the achingly beautiful “Prisionero”, performed note-perfectly a cappella style en español. In any other year, this would be a shoe-in for album of the year…

3 Forêt – “Forêt” Just how good was the debut album from Montreal duo Émilie Laforest and Joseph Marchand? As good an example of inventive indie-rock as was released this year – in English or in French – that’s how good. This is another example of the kind of cutting-edge music that the French-Canadian music scene is crying out for. A beautifully disturbing album – distilling the atmospheric expansiveness of The Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance with a dark psychedelic undercurrent reminiscent of Portishead – the end result, infused with Laforest’s dreamy yet haunting vocals, weaved a surrealistic yet edgy aural landscape. Nine perfectly crafted and varied songs, from “Le verbe amour”, with its chorus that embedded itself in your skull, the driving beat of “Corps maquillés” to the ghostly “Je tombe avec la pluie”. Fantastic!

2 Axelle Red – “Rouge Ardent”. Belgian singer-songwriter Axelle Red’s ninth studio album was arguably her best since 1996’s “À Tâtons”. With a collection of 10 thoughtful, introspective songs, she drew from all of her 20 year career to pull together an incredibly soulful and humble album. Surrounding herself with the cream of Memphis musicians, every track on this album, from the driving “Amour profund” with its wall of horns and precussion, the brooding intensity of “Rouge Ardent” to powerful ballads such as “Quelque part allieurs” and “jusqu’au bout” – all delivered with Axelle’s unique vocal style – was a beautiful hommage to the city and sound of Stax.

1 Les Soeurs Boulay – “Le poids des confettis”. I’d raved about Sisters Melanie and Stéphanie Boulay’s EP last time round, but their sublime debut album exceeded even my (already highly) expectations. This was an album chock full of songs about love, life and heartbreak. At times intimate and introverted (“Mappemonde” and “Lola en confiture”), others bold and extrovert (“Ôte-moi mon linge” and the toe-tapping “Par Le Chignon de Cou”). The sister’s warm and hauntingly rhythmic melodies stood comparison to those of a certain Simon and Garfunkel, especially the way their voices intertwined telepathically. This was a thoroughly deserved album of the year. But don’t take my word for it, “Le poids des confettis” picked up “Folk Album of the Year” awards at both major Quebec music awards festivals (ADISQ and GAMIQ), while the Sisters themselves won Artist of the Year at the aforementioned GAMIQs…