Showing posts with label merzhin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label merzhin. Show all posts

Monday, 16 June 2014

Merzhin: L'Éclaireur

I've always had plenty of time for Breton indie rock band Merzhin, and it's great to see s new video for the
track L'Éclaireur

Merzhin are an act who manage to produce a very decent contemporary indie rock, and effortlessly infuse it with a Breton flavour.

A careful listen to this track reveals the bombarde - a traditional Breton instrument - being played, but it's a million miles away from folk rock.

They've always been an impressive live act, and it's nice to see a video doing them justice.

The track comes from their Des heures a la Seconds album, which came out in March and is being released on vinyl on June 23.

Wednesday, 18 May 2011

News: Merzhin on Taratata


Breton band Merzhin played on the French TV programme Taratata last night, a special edition of the programme dedicated to Celtic music.

The show also featured Andrea Corr, Donovan, Alan Stivell and Nolwenn Leroy.

I covered Merzhin last month, and I'm only too happy to feature them again.

For me, the highlight of the programme had to be their version of the song The Partisan, a number originally made famous by Leonard Cohen, his version being in French and English like the Merzhin cover.

The song, originally titled "La Complainte du Partisan" was written in 1943 by Anna Marly, a Russian-born French singer songwriter. It was written while in London, where she fled following the fall of France, and came into contact with the Free French Forces.

She also wrote another better-know song Le Chant de Partisan, which was adopted as an anthem by French resistance forces in France and in exile, used as an unofficial national anthem while the Nazis banned La Marseillaise.

Leonard Cohen's version of the song led to many other cover versions of the song, including interpretations from Joan Baez to political punk bands like Red Union and Workers' United Front.

On account of the song le Chant de Partisan, Marly was named a chevalier de La Légion d'Honneur by François Mitterrand in 1985.

The Merzhin version is closer to the Leonard Cohen version than the Anna Marly original, and although it features more instrumental colour than Cohen's stark original, it retains the haunting quality of a remarkable song.

The band also played the song L'Étincelle from the 2010 album Plus loin vers l'ouest and were briefly interviewed for the programme.


Tuesday, 11 January 2011

News: Scotland to win the Tour de France?

So Scotland might be the host for the Grand Départ for the Tour de France in 2017?

Here's a report I wrote for the STV News website on Monday.

Here's hoping! I wonder if people realise what a big deal it is? Huge viewing figures, massive logistics and millions looking at Scotland in the height of the summer.

The benefits would be massive, so fingers crossed it comes to something. Never mind London getting the Olympics, this is the one I want!

Hopefully the Tour organisers will look at not only the history of the links with Scotland, but also at how we coped with the Papal visit last year and how we deal with the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

We should certainly be in with more than an outside chance.

So to mark the momentous occasion (ok, perhaps a little bit prematurely...) here's Breton band Merzhin's Maillot Jaune.


Merzhin Maillot Jaune
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