Jeanne Added:Le Grand Journal

A high-profile TV appearance from Jeanne Added this week, with two tracks on Le Grand Journal, the nightly Canal+ chat show.

Her appearance on the show came the same week as Muse played.

There were two tracks, A War Is Coming and Look at Them.

Her debut album Be Sensational was released at the beginning of this month. Both tracks feature on the album.

Jeanne Added certainly seems to be this year's rising act, hopefully following in the footsteps of Christine and the Queens in their rise from cult act to national treasure.

Jeanne Added - A War is Coming - Le live du 10/06

 

Jeanne Added - Look at Them - Le live du 10/06

The Enchanted Wood: I'm From Rennes

Some nice video emerged by The Enchanted Wood, an act that I've enthused about on this blog since I heard their 2012 Monster Parade album.

The Enchanted Wood is essentially a solo project by Fat Supper associate Michel Le Faou, regularly backed by live members of that band and other musicians.

Le Faou has done video work for Fat Supper, including the clip for their track Grotorro.

The video comes from September last year, when The Enchanted Wood performed as part of the I'm From Rennes festival, and was shot in the city.

It's a tasteful representation of Le Faou's crepuscular crooning, with its nod to neofolk.

It features three tracks, Rise of the Jellyfish, Children of Solitude and The Menstrual World


 

La Grande Sophie: Maria Yudina

A new video for the track Maria Yudina by La Grande Sophie.

Yudina was a Russian classical musician and despite being Stalin's favourite pianist, was a vocal critic of the Soviet leadership. She died in 1970.

The track comes from  La Grande Sophie's forthcoming new album, her seventh. The title of the new collection hasn't been revealed yet.

It is expected to be released in the autumn.

Her last album, 2012's La place du fantôme reached the top ten in France.

La Grande Sophie plays at the Trianon in Paris on November 26.

Matmatah: Triceratops

A new track's emerged by the band Matmatah, the  cult Breton group that split in 2007.

Triceratops is a new track from the band that has emerged ahead of a greatest hits album.

They reconvened to mark their 20th anniversary with a best of CD, to be entitled Antaology.

During their career Matmatah released four albums, their debut album La Ouache released in 1998. The band played an indie flavoured rock with a celtic infusion that met with massive popular appeal.

The collection will be a 2CD set, the second disc featuring rare and unreleased material.

Antaology is due to be released on  September 25.

Christine and the Queens: Paradis Perdus

Another single released by Christine and the Queens from the Chaleur Humaine album.

It marks a year since the album came out. During that time it has become one of the most significant French releases in recent years.

Paradis Perdus was a song originally by Christophe, from his 1973 album of the same name.  Lyrics for the track were written by a young Jean-Michel Jarre.

Christine's version also quotes from Kanye West's track Heartless.

Christine and the Queens played at the We Love Green festival in Paris, and are playing at pretty much every festival in France over the summer, before touring arenas in autumn.

She plays at the Zénith in Paris on September 25.

Benjamin Biolay: Revoir Paris

A new single by Benjamin Biolay, with his version of the Charles Trenet song Revoir Paris.

It comes ahead of a new album by Biolay which features his interpretations of 12 songs by Trenet.

Trenet's original version of the song came from 1947. Biolay's version is a chilled jazzy arrangement where he is accompanied by Nicolas Fiszman and Denis Benarrosh.

 It's two and a half years since Biolay's last album, Vengeance.

Biolay's new album is avaiable from June 15, and he plays two nights in Paris at Les Folies Bergere on June 29 and 30.

La famille Chedid: Anne, ma sœur Anne

An interview and a performance by La famille Chedid, an acts that spans generations of French musical talent.

The band, consisting of  Louis, Matthieu, Anna and Joseph Chedid played a series of  concerts at the Olympia in Paris, their set featuring both the hits of Matthieu Chedid - perhaps better known under his -M- pseudonym - and songs by his father Louis.

Anna and Joseph Chedid have both also musical careers, under the names Nach and Selim.

As well as an interview, the clip sees them perform the track Anne, ma sœur Anne.

La famille Chedid play festivals around France over the summer, and play at the Palais Garnier in Paris on September 6.