Grand Corps Malade: Pas Essential

An absolutely essential track from Grand Corps Malade, summing up much of what's wrong with lockdown restrictions on our lives.

Whether you agree or not with the changes that have been put in place as a consequence of COVID-19, there can be no denying the effect that they have had on everyone's lives, with what were once simple everyday occurrences now out of bounds.

I like how the video brings in the faces of those who have been hit hardest, the cafe owner, restaurant staff, the bookseller, the florist and many others. A reminder that they're not 'the economy' or 'business' but actual human beings, facing loss and uncertainty on top of the pandemic,

The irony is, of course, that far from being non-essential, the arts are more essential than they ever have been. We'd struggle to get through the isolation and difficulty without music, film and television. 

But despite that artists, producers and venues are struggling and many will go under in coming months.

Some restaurants, bars and venues will never open again, some artists will move on to other careers with less uncertainty. We will all be diminished. 

The end to this dark time can't come soon enough.

M & Vanessa Paradis: La Seine

 Love this clip of M. M and Ms Paradis on a Facebook live.

Two talented artists in a relaxed and informal setting looking like they're genuinely having a lot of fun.

The song was originally from the soundtrack of the 2011 movie A monster in Paris. The soundtrack was, of course, originally created by M and Vanessa Paradis, La Seine being the stand-out track which was released as a single.

There's a lot to be said for artists being able to create their own broadcasts on platforms like Facebook. It's less formal and intrusive, and lets them perform in a comfortable and accessible environment even during the current Coronavirus restrictions. 

It may lack the budget of television or even the art and craft of some of the high-quality online session performances that have emerged in recent years, but it gives access to artists in a new way and allows them direct involvement in the creative process.

Hopefully we'll see much more of this kind of thing!

 

Transmusicales festival online #lestrans

Some very good news with the (slight) return of the Transmusicales festival in Rennes later today.

This year's event fell victim to COVID-19 cancellation following the announcement of the latest round of lockdown in France.

The festival team had been working to make the event possible this year, amid stringent restrictions, with smaller audiences and much more controlled situations for performances, but the announcement of further lockdown measures apparently put an end to it.

But the recent loosening of lockdown made a form of the event possible, with online platforms bringing a flavour of the event to an audience.

The Transmusicales events run from this afternoon until December 5. You can watch on Facebook or YouTube - details below of who's playing when and how you can watch.

Indochine and Christine and the Queens: 3SEX

Black Friday this year won't have any deal as good as this two-for-one from Indochine and Christine and the Queens.

They take a song from Indochine's back catalogue and give it a 21st century revision. There's a slight change to the title - from 3e sexe to 3SEX - and a slightly more significant overhaul of the music, strippping away the very 80s stylings of the original and creating something far more contemporary. 

Speaking about the collaboration, Christine said: "Last April, Nicola Sirkis called me and told me about revisiting 3e sexe.

"The whole world was breathing more slowly and my heart started pounding because this song tells something that is very personal to me, something that makes me want to be free. 

"Thank you Nicola for giving me the honour and the confidence to sing 3SEX with you, at a time when the very word freedom takes on all its meaning and urgency.

"Real revolutions never die."

 The song originally featured on Indochine's 1985 album 3, and was widely taken as an anthem to tolerance with regard to sexuality. 

 The new version of the song will feature on the forthcoming Indochine compilation Singles Collection (1981-2001), due out on December 11.

Grammy nomination for Woodkid

A nice surprise to see some recognition for Woodkid in the nominations for this year's Grammy awards.

He's been nominated in the Best Video category for the extraordinary clip that accompanies his track Goliath, the first track that emerged from his S16 album.

Also in the category are Beyonce for Brown Skin Girl, Future featuring Drake with Life is good, Anderson Paak's Lockdown and Harry Styles with Adore you. Woodkid, in his music video directing job, previously directed Harry Styles' Sign of the Times video.

He's an accomplished video director and it's not the first time he's been nominated for a Best Video Grammy either, being nominated in 2013 for Run boy run and in 2015 for The golden age. His Harry Styles vide won the Brit award for British video of the year in 2018.

During his career, he's made videos for Lana Del Rey, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, as well as France's Nolwenn Leroy and Yelle.

This year's Grammys has Beyonce as the favourite to take home the most awards, with a total of nine nominations. Taylor Swift is on the shortlist for six as is Dua Lipa.

I'll be keeping my eyes on Woodkid hopefully coming home with a new shiny ornament for his mantlepiece. Fingers crossed.

The 63rd Grammy awards ceremony takes place on January 31 at the Staples Centre in LA.

Mustang: Memento Mori

Sometimes a song just comes along unexpectedly and knocks you over. Mustang's Memento Mori certainly does just that. 

Maybe it's the apparent simplicity of the song, its profundity and literacy worn lightly and with more than a hint of deadpan humour. It's nonchalant bounce and chiming guitars contrasting magnificently with its dark subject matter.

There's something of the classic groups of the 80s going on too, Echo and the Bunnymen and particularly The Smiths. But although it's familiar with classic indie, it's not trying too hard, and there's no nostalgia here.

Still, can't help but think Morrissey must wish he could write a song as good as this. 

The song comes from Mustang's forthcoming fourth album, also entitled Memento Mori, due out in Spring next year.

The three-piece have been around since 2006, releasing an EP that year, their first proper album A71 coming out in  2009. They're most recent was 2014's Écran total. It's been relatively quiet since 2017's  Karaboudjan EP, singer and guitarist Jean Felzine releasing both a solo EP and an album with Jo Wedin in recent years.

Memento Mori is the kind of work that a band at the top of their game might release, the fact that it's the first release by a band returning after a few years away makes it all the more remarkable. Their forthcoming album already makes the light at the end of the tunnel that 2020 has been all the brighter. 

 

P.R2B: Le film a l'envers

A new video from P.R2B, for the track Le film a l'envers, taken from her Des rêves debut EP. 

The six-track EP, released in September, has been welcomed by critics, who have described it as somewhere between hiphop and French chanson, with elements of the 1980s. Her official bio refers to Barbara and Kanye West, to Tyler the Creator and Catherine Ringer.

They're big names to throw around when it comes to describing an artist who has only released one EP so far, but it's an assured and confident piece of work and is capable of staring down any suggestion it doesn't deserve to be in such company. 

If you were into predictions for 2021 - perhaps not the wisest thing given how 2020 turned out - you'd probably be safe to say she'll be one of the artists of the year.

Prior to her musical career, P.R2B, or Pauline Rambeau de Baralon as she's known to her family, studied film production and made a short student film entitled Bird's Lament. The title came from a piece from Moondog, the story being about a young student who discovers the music of the legendary underground composer. 

Her experience working in film means she's as comfortable directing her own videos as she is performing in them. 

This month also saw her perform a live set from La Gaîté Lyrique in Paris, as part of the ARTE live concert series. Once normality is resumed, we'll hopefully be seeing live performances on other stages too.

Sébastien Tellier ARTE live concert

Last week Sébastien Tellier performed a special live concert, streamed online by ARTE.

The show was performed at La Gaîté Lyrique in Paris on Friday 13 November and features Tellier with a full band and stage show. But without an audience.

Tellier released a surprise album at the end of last week, a collection of re-interpretations of his previous work performed in a style he describes as 'minimalist yet lush', a kind of low-key epic, a widescreen lo-fi genre that he makes his own. Simple Mind gives you the opportunity to experience the songs again, in an unfamiliar setting, letting you draw new interpretations and conclusions about his work.

His set was Roche,  A Ballet.  La Ritournelle,  Divine. La Dolce Vita, Look, Stuck in a Summer Love,  Sexual Sportswear, L'Amour Naissant, L'Amour et la Violence, Domestic Tasks, Fantino, Fingers Of Steel and Comment Revoir Oursinet. 

It's a wide-ranging set, featuring work from throughout his career, many of which feature on Simple Mind

Well worth an hour of your time.

Queens of the Stone Age Bataclan commemoration live stream

 Queens of the Stone Age play an online concert in commemoration of the victims of the Bataclan terrorist attack, on the fifth anniversary of the tragedy.

The show, recorded in 2018 in Hobart, Australia, is to be broadcast on YouTube and will raise money for the Nick Alexander Memorial Trust and the Life for Paris organisation.

Nick Alexander was the member of the Eagles of Death Metal's merchandising crew who was one of the victims. Ninety people died at the Bataclan with a total of 130 dying across Paris in other attacks on cafes and restaurants and at the Stade de France.

It was an act of unprecedented barbarity, the worst attack on France since the Second World War. 

Josh Homme, leader of Queens of the Stone Age, also performs as part of the Eagles of Death Metal. He announced the live stream on social media, asking fans to donate if they can.

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Christine and the Queens: People, I've been sad

An absolutely cracking performance from Christine and the Queens for US TV.

She performed People, I've Been Sad for the Late Late Show with James Corden filmed at La Chapelle des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

TV shows can do all sorts of amazing things for staging live acts in a studio, but a backdrop like this is quite something. It's also somehow an appropriate stage for the song, adding both mystery and beauty.

It is, of course, filmed and produced to absolute perfection. Just marvel at the lighting in the background illuminating the treasures of the chapel.

In some ways it reminds me of some of the great work that's been done by La Blogotheque over the years.

The song is the first track on her La Vita Nuova EP, released earlier this year,

While it will certainly further Christine's reputation in the USA,  I can't help but think it will also attract one or two more tourists to explore some of Paris's lesser-known attractions once Covid-19's grip is relaxed.

Lost Noir Désir feat Alain Bashung song emerges

Well well well, what have we here?

An unreleased track by Noir Désir accompanied by Alain Bashung in what must be for some the best two-for-the-price-of-one offer ever.

For all I love Bashung and was a huge fan of Noirdez, it's not to these ears the best example of either, and certainly not a pooling to their talents to create something better than they could create on their own. I mean, it's not awful, but as the title suggests, it's pretty dumb and for acts that are both celebrated for being articulate and poetic, it's a bit of a letdown.

The track comes from a forthcoming Noir Desir box set that rounds up their complete discography over 18 (!) CDs and a DVD. Entitled Intégrale it covers their discography including all their studio albums remastered in HD, the live albums Dies Irae and Noir Desir En Public, as well as several discs of out-takes, demos and unreleased material. There's also another live album recorded at the Elysee Montmartre in 1991. 

It looks like the definitive article wrapping up the entire Noir Désir story, from their peak to their tragic ending.At under 100 euros it's likely to be found under many trees this Christmas.

As for Bashung, it's great to hear something I've not heard before., despite my reservations. It's not his finest work, and 2018's En Amont will probably be the last word in quality posthumous Bashung material, but there's pleasure to be found in hearing him obviously having fun with some friends and kicking up some imbecile rock 'n' roll.

Intégrale is released on December 4.

France at the MTV EMA Awards 2020

For all it's called the European Music Awards, the MTV EMAs has always been the most international of award ceremonies. Hosted this weekend by (most of) Little Mix, the event had Lady Gaga as the most nominated artist, followed by Justin Bieber and BTS.

The two-hour-long show - the 27th time it has been staged - was broadcast internationally, but Covid-19 restrictions mean that the performers taking part were filmed at different locations around Europe rather than at a central event.

 

Among the main awards, alongside the four awards won by BTS, David Guetta picked up an award for Best Electronic. He was also nominated for the Video for Good category for Let's Love, a duet with Sia, but the category was won by H.E.R.'s I can't breathe.

Guetta performed at the event, with a version of Let's Love featuring Raye from Budapest.

In the regional awards, the five shortlisted acts were Soprano, Slimane et Vitaa, Gims, Matt Pokora and Aya Nakamura. The prize was picked up by Matt Pokora.

From the Belgian nominations, Angèle won the Best Belgian Act award.

Look! It's a surprise from Sébastien Tellier

 Surprise! Sebastien tellier has a new album out this week. 

Just a matter of months after he released Domesticated, Simple Mind sees Tellier re-interpret some of his own songs, re-recording them in a style he describes as "minimalist yet lush".

 From his 2001 debut L'incroyable vérité to Domesticated, Tellier has over the course of seven studio albums, several soundtracks and a number of collaborations and side projects established himself as one of France's most significant and innovative musical artists.

Look originally featured on his 2008 Sexuality album. Other tracks featuring on the new collection are Domestic Tasks, L'amour et la violence, A Ballet, Divine, Intromission, Finger of Steel, Stuck in a Summer Love, Comment revoir Oursinet, Ricky L'adolescent and Against the Law

Tellier says about the new collection: "Simple Mind is a total rebirth for my music. For this minimalistic live recording, I’m cleansing my own songs so you can (re)discover them in the most pure and intimate way. 

"I want to take you to the closest of my chords, my melodies and my voice in order to share the essence of my art with you. 

"As simple as that. "

Angèle on the new Dua Lipa single

It's pretty cool to see a major francophone artist collaborate with a high-profile UK/international artist, and that's exactly what's happened with Angèle appearing on the new single from Dua Lipa.

Angèle, although massive in France and in her native Belgium, is still very much an unknown in the UK. Her 2018 Brol album may well be quadruple platinum on Belgium and a diamond seller in France, but in the UK she's likely to pass unnoticed in a late-night London chip shop, as the video shows.

Not so Dua Lipa, whose Future Nostalgia collection released in March reached number one, as it did in 13 countries, amid considerable critical acclaim.

Fever features on the French edition of the album, and the release of the track as a single will introduce Angèle to a wider anglophone audience who might be surprised by francophone rap's sharpest Belgian export making her first appearance on an English language track.

If anything the collaboration shows Dua Lipa's been paying attention to what goes on outside the anglophone music world, and that she's got a wider worldview than many others. 

Whether it establishes Angèle as the next breakthrough French-speaking act in the notoriously monoglot UK is uncertain, but the opportunity to hear some French rap on mainstream music radio is something to cherish.

NRJ Music Awards 2020

With gigs and events cancelled or postponed across France, this year's NRJ Music Awards are just one of the many events to have been affected.

While the French government has given permission for the filming of TV shows and films as well as rehearsals and preparations for events to continue during the lockdown, it looks like the NRJ Music Awards will be a different event this year, even though it takes place on December 5, just days after the confinement period is expected to end.

According to Ara Aprikian, the director of programmes on TF1 speaking to FranceInfo, the event will take place without a live audience and with the majority of performances pre-recorded. The announcements of the winners will still be live.

Public voting for the winners is open until December 4.

So who's been shortlisted this year? The NRJ Awards recognise both French and international artists, and regularly attract some of the biggest international names.

Female French artist of the year

Amel Bent,  Aya Nakamura, Camelia Jordana, Carla Bruni, Clara Luciani, Louane, Wjdene

International female artist of the year

Ava Max, Billie Eilish,  Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Sia, Tones and I 

Male French artist of the year

Amir, Dadju, Gims, Julien Dore, Kendji Girac, M Pokora, Vianney 

International male artist of the year

Harry Styles, Jason Derulo, Justin Bieber, Lewis Capaldi, Shawn Mendes, The Weeknd, 

Breakthrough French artist of the year

Alliel, Hatik, Soolking, Squeezie, Tayc, Wejdene

International breakthrough artist of the year

Doja Cat, Karol G, Master KG, Nea, Tom Gregory, Zoe Wees

French group/duo of the year

Boulevard des airs, Indochine, Tryo, Vitaa and Slimane, 

International group/duo of the year

Black Eyed Peas, BTS, Imagine Dragons, Major Lazer, Maroon 5 One Republic 

French song of the year

Jusqu'au bout Amel Bent  and Imen Es, La fête Amir, Facile Camelia Jordana, Angela  Hatik, Nos Célébrations Indochine, Désolé pour hier soir Tryo feat. Mc Fly and Carlito, Avant toi Vitaa and Slimane

International song of the year

Kings and Queens Ava Max, Ritmo Black Eyed Peas and J Balvin, Physical Dua Lipa, Savage Love Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo, Tusa Karol G, Before you go Lewis Capaldi,  Jerusalema Master KG, Blinding Lights The Weeknd

French collaboration of the year

Amel Bent and Imen Es (Jusqu'au bout), Bigfo and Oli and Bon Entendeur (Coup de Blues / Soleil), Gims and Sting (Reste), Grand Corps Malade and Camille Lellouche (Mais je t'aime), Lartiste and Carolina (Comme Avant), Soolking and Dadju (Melegim)

International collaboration of the year

Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber (Stuck with U), Black Eyed Peas and J Balvin (Ritmo), David Guetta and Sia (Let's Love), Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo (Savage Love), Karol G and Nicki Minaj (Tusa), Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande (Rain on me)

Video of the year

Say so Doja Cat, Physical Dua Lipa, Pendant 24h Grand Corps Malade and Suzane, Watermelon Sugar Harry Styles, Nous Juien Dore, Rain on me Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, Donne-moi ton oeur Louane,  A nos héros du quotidien Soprano, Blinding Lights The Weeknd, Ça ira Vitaa and Slimane

DJ of the year

Calvin Harris,  David Guetta, DJ Snake, Kygo, Ofenbach, Regard, Robin Shulz

France's independent record stores: interactive click and collect map

As if recent years haven't been challenging enough for independent record stores, France's Covid-19 lockdown has seen them all forced to close their doors alongside other cultural institutions such as bookstores in what is normally the start of the key pre-Christmas period for most small retail businesses.

It's a major blow, but it's spurred many on to take measures to stay afloat amid the turbulence, and while they're not allowed to open their doors to customers, they are permitted to run a 'click and collect' service that allows them to sell to customers while preserving the sanitary conditions that are currently required. You can order online and pick up the physical disc at the shop.

It's a slender lifeline, but it is better than nothing.

Taking things further, CALIF, the Club Action des Labels et des Disquaires Indépendants Français, developed an interactive map of France showing all the independent record retailers involved in the scheme, allowing you to track down your closes and contact them. 

To those in France it's a quick way you can help out the grassroots outposts of the country's' music industry and help them through a tough time. To those outside France, it's a useful planner for when you're next in the country, amid more favourable times when you can take the time to visit in person.

Fingers crossed they'll still be there.

Mr President: The best is yet to come

Originally released a few years ago, a funky piece from Mr President, AKA Bruno Patchworks Hovart, is an appropriate tune for today. 

We featured it in 2011 when it first came out, and as America goes to the final stage of the election process, we can only hope that better things lie ahead.

This Mr President's manifesto is a vote-winning French 21st century take on 70s US funk, soul and vintage disco. A clear poll winner. 

Lyon-based Patchworks has been involved in a variety of projects over the years and has built a solid grassroots support on dancefloors, swaying voters whose affiliations run to disco, funk, soul and fusion.

Patchworks has released three albums under his Mr President nom de funk so far, the latest  One Night was released in September on Favorite Recordings.  

Whoever gets elected in the USA, it's good to know that there's at least one Mr President who delivers on his promises.

Fingers crossed for all our friends in America - and elsewhere -  that the best really is yet to come!

Arnaud Rebotini: Halloween

"This Party that never happened", writes Arnaud Rebotini posting his version of John Carpenter's Halloween theme on Soundcloud.

With a weekend that saw events, large and small, cancelled or postponed, from family gatherings to nightclub events, for kids or adults, it's something of a poignant reminder of another time.

Rebotini continues: "As our lives today are so much like a bad horror film, too long and boring, and as this year has seen the sacrifice of social and cultural life, I have chosen this Halloween celebration because it is the celebration of youth sublimating the fear of death, but also because it is the symbol of a devouring capitalism where we consume everything and anything without any limit, which leads to nothing but the catastrophe we are living today."

I've always loved his dark electro, as well as his soundtrack work that saw his score for 120 battiments par minuit get international attention and a Cesar award. 

Rebotini has always had the awareness and the means to articulate a situation, and given the dark days we find ourselves in, it feels like he's got the tone right.

On the release of this new track he adds "So through this reworking of John Carpenter's theme, I offer you my version of the soundtrack of the burial of our social, cultural and nocturnal lives."

Arnaud Rebotini · Halloween Theme

Editorial - November 2020

We live in interesting times. With lockdown we've appreciated the importance of culture and the arts more than ever in sustaining us, but at the same time, these areas and the people working in them that make them happen have been hit harder than ever before.

France's latest measures see bookshops and record shops marginalised as inessential, joining the theatres, clubs, concert halls and artists facing an uncertain future. It's always been a precarious existence in the arts, with margins becoming ever tighter and increasing challenges, but it seems the immediate future will essentially be a fight for survival for many.

It's been difficult before, but I can't remember any time that has been as bad as this for arts professionals. I've always believed that music is at the forefront of artistic development, leading the way for TV, cinema, theatre and literature to follow, and sadly that seems to be the case here, with music being hit the hardest and in the most immediate ways. 

Amidst this existential threat, we want to do what we can. Highlighting what's good in French music might not be the biggest blow against a seemingly insurmountable challenge, but ever step makes a difference in a long journey. It sucks, but hopefully we can get through it.

For acts struggling to get the recognition they deserve every bit of publicity can help them connect with a potential audience, and that audience can sustain their career. 

Even promoting established acts can make a difference. Sure, most even in the UK will be familiar with Johnny or Mylene, but the revenue raised by record companies on the bankable stars can keep the books in the black for another year, and can lead to more signings and more opportunities for other acts.

So we'll try to do what we can here. Our overheads are minimal, our reach is increasing as is our audience, and we'll continue to highlight things happening in French music that deserve your attention, whether new releases and developing acts of activity from established names. 

If you're a promoter or want some publicity for an act, just get in touch, we'll do what we can. My inbox is open at johnkilbrideAThotmailDOTcom, just amend the email address to the appropriate format and it will get through.

a bientot

jk

Julien Doré: Nous

Lots of love for this new video by Julien Doré. 

The track Nous comes from his new album Aimée, a number one in France following its release last month.

There's a lot going on here in this video, from Planet of the Apes, 2001 a Space Odyssey as well as perhaps just a touch of Jurassic Park. Bonus credit for the Sea Shepherd patch on the back of the spacesuit.

It's his fifth proper album, following 2016's & and a subsequent acoustic collection of songs from that album two years later.

From an artist who initially emerged from the Nouvelle Star reality TV show in 2007,  it has been quite a journey. He never quite fitted the mould of manufactured pop star, always a bit too smart, not taking himself too seriously and prepared to take a few more risks with his music. As an artist, he's closer to Sébastien Tellier or Jarvis Cocker than to any of the other winners of the show. 

Covid permitting, he's got a tour scheduled from October 2021 of the Zenith arenas and he plays the Accor Arena in Paris on November 25 2021.

Johnny Hallyday: Deux sortes d'hommes

 A new release by Johnny Hallyday on the horizon, with a box set entitled Son rêve américain the latest posthumous release continuing his legacy.

With two significant studio albums and a number of live releases, he's done well to keep up his release schedule despite no longer being with us since 2017. The Mon pays c'est l'amour and Johnny releases were massive sellers, confirming that the demand for new product - particularly in the run-up to Christmas - remains undiminished. 

Son rêve américain differs from other releases in that it is a box set, featuring two films, one chronicling his motorcycle road trip in 2016, and another documenting his US live dates. Three CDs present a live gig from New York in 2014, and the soundtrack for the films, including an unreleased track Deux sortes d'hommes, released as a single ahead of the package.

Deux sortes d'hommes was a blues rocker originally recorded for his 2014 Rester Vivant album, but dropped before release. The video is nicely put together montage of Hallyday archive footage, from the 60s to more recent years, and shots from his road trip.

It's as strong as much of his later material. While not exactly covering much new ground, it plays to his strengths and doesn't sound like a below-par offcut. It does raise the question of how much unreleased material there actually is in the Hallyday vault, as this collection is essentially just another live release with an almost homeopathic level of actual unreleased studio material. 

In the motorcycle footage, Hallyday could easily pass for any elderly biker and would probably not get a second glance from anyone else on the road. 

For all his love of America, and his years living there, Hallyday was never as big a name there as he was in France. Perhaps the anonymity that gave him is one of the reasons he liked it. 

We Love Green 2021

It's great to have some good news. 

After all the cancellations, most recently the MAMA event in Paris, a confirmation that one of next year's major music festivals is taking place, and with a special act confirmed for the opening night.

Gorillaz are to headline Thursday June 3, with a set described as a mini-festival within the festival, featuring Damon Albarn and a host of special guests.

Gorillaz new album Song Machine is released later this month, with the song The Pink Phantom already arrived, featuring a collaboration with Elton John and 6lack. The album includes contributions from Peter Hook, Robert Smith, St Vincent and Skepta.

Whether any of these guests - or guests from their previous albums - appear at the show remains to be seen, but what's certain is that Gorillaz will be putting on the kind of unforgettable multimedia performance that never fails to astonish.

It's the event's tenth anniversary. The festival, held at the Bois de Vincennes, fell victim to Covid-19 cancellation earlier this year. Recent years have seen performances by Christine and the Queens, Tame Impala, Booba, Orelsan and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

We Love Green takes place on June 3- June 6 next year. More details of the other acts on the bill, as well as prices and when tickets will be available, will be released shortly,

Carpenter Brut: Release Party

A great opportunity to catch a live performance by the mighty Carpenter Brut thanks to the good people at Arte.

Our favourite purveyors of 80s horror soundtrack electro-rock star in a performance at an American high school gig we all wish we were at some time in the early 90s.

Carpenter Brut recently released their soundtrack for Blood Machine, a 50-minute SF film collaboration between the band and director Seth Ickerman that follows up their Turbo Killer music video.

The film's in the final stage of production and the soundtrack is available on digital platforms, and to be released on vinyl later this year.

Meanwhile, this live set has all the 80s/early 90s movie style elements in place, with a set that's not a million miles from Nirvana's Smells like teen spirit video, and an audience who have come straight from teenage late-night movie central casting, with a little bit of appropriate narrative suspense to add to the flavour.

Clair: Danser ou crever

Here's something nice. In difficult times there's a need for something that's apparently simple, perfectly crafted and 

Clair's Danser ou crever is like a welcome reminder of better times, and a hope that things might be that good again. We can choose to die or we can choose to dance. 

As long as we keep a metre apart.

The song's by Philippe Katerine and was produced by Philippe Katerine and Pierre Daven-Keller. Daven Keller is a long-time friend of this blog, first coming across his  Reaction in C album in 2015, to enjoying his Kino Music collection that was released last year.

Philippe Katerine's Confession album was released in November last year, and Clair features on the track Un Jour Sans.

Feu! Chatterton: confinement cover version

As the lockdown lifts gradually in France, with shops beginning to open and movement restrictions loosened, some great material recorded under the confinement continues to emerge.

Here's a great new track from Feu! Chatterton which appeared on their Facebook page at the end of May,  a cover of  Mon nom, originally by Rodrigo Amarante. It featured originally on Amarante's 2013 Cavalo solo album. Amarante, a member of Brazilian band Los Hermanos as well as Little Joy, a band also featuring Fabrizio Moretti from The Strokes.

Feu! Chatterton's most recent release was last year's Feu! Chatterton Live 2018 EP, released as part of last year's Disquaire Day event. The five-track release was recorded on their live dates promoting the  L'Oiseleur album, a collection that was nominated in the Best Rock Album category in the Victoires de la Musique 2019 awards.

Singer Arthur Teboul featured on Christophe's final album, Christophe, Etc. Vol. 2 - released in December last year -  on a re-recorded duet of Le Beau Bizarre.

Feu! Chatterton's plans for a run of eight sold-out live dates at the  Bouffes du Nord theatre in Paris in March and April were cancelled. 

It won't be long until things are back to normal, and hopefully more new material from Feu! Chatterton and more live dates will be confirmed before too long.

Up on the roof with Aloïse Sauvage

Coronavirus confinement means artists having to find new ways to present themselves, so respect to Aloïse Sauvage for taking to the rooftop for a special video for Mega Down.

Locked down in a house with friends, she was determined to make a video for one of the tracks on her Dévorantes debut album using the means she had at hand - a drone and the house she was staying in.

A visit to the rooftop at sundown and some gravity-defying moves later it makes for an engaging clip, and one that's a little different from the usual home studio/playing at home videos that have emerged in the light of the pandemic.

Well, I suppose parkour was invented in France and health and safety issues are no hindrance to the bold Aloïse.

Fortunately, she's got good footwear, a pretty photogenic building under her feet and a nice location. The roof looks in good nick too, perhaps she removed some moss and cleared the gutters while she was up there.

Previously established as an actress, she's appeared in amongst other films 120 battements par minute, she released her debut EP Jimy in 2019 ahead of Dévorantes. Her performance of  À l'horizontale at this year's Les Victoires de la Musique televised award ceremony was a highlight of the event and an unforgettable introduction to her work for a huge audience across France.

Many of her scheduled live dates have fallen due to lockdown in France but she's goy=t some scheduled for later in the year which may yet happen.

Another (troubled) return for Bertrand Cantat

A new musical project - Paz - emerges from Bertrand Cantat.

It comes three years after Amor Fati, his first proper solo album following the termination of Noir Désir in 2010.

Cantat's personal history with regard his public career remains an unresolved and very public moral debate. Found guilty of killing his partner Marie Tritignant in 2003 and sentenced to eight years in jail, he was released in 2007.

His subsequent decision to resume his public musical career led to widespread condemnation and protest, some seeing him as a symbol of societal acceptance of violence against women, others maintaining that despite what he did, he has the same right as any former convict who has served their sentence - even a public figure - to pursue their career without continued punishment.

It's a question that's unlikely to be resolved to the satisfaction of either party. The irony of the situation being that in the debate, Cantat and Noir Désir having previously been politically aware and involved, would probably have sided with those opposing Cantat today.

The work had been intended for a stage show to be performed in a theatre near Bordeaux in March,  which was cancelled following multiple objections. Cantats's not performed live since his 2018 tour which saw tour dates and festival appearances cancelled in light of demonstrations and objections.

This release is quite different from his Amor Fati album or his Détroit collaboration with Pascal Humbert, Paz instead being a work that combines poetic spoken word with musical backing, at times ambient, at other times more rock influenced.

Férey's work, while in the French Policier tradition, reflect on larger political themes such as political repressions, apartheid and colonialism. Paz, released last year, is set in Colombia and tells of family tragedy amidst the backdrop of the Colombian guerilla war against the FARC.

It's a dark work, reflected in the Paz album which sees entirely new pieces of text rather than passages from the book used in the seven tracks

It's available in digital formats at the moment, with a physical release expected later in the year.

Maxwell Farrington and Le SuperHomard - The Good Times Are Coming

A bit of vintage-styled positivity from Maxwell Farrington and Le SuperHomard with a cover of The Good Times Are Coming.

The John Barry/Hal David song was originally recorded by 'Mama' Cass Elliot and released on an album in 1970. It also featured in the Western film Monte Walsh the same year, a movie which starred Jeanne Moreau as well as Lee Marvin and Jack Palance.

Last year's Meadow Park Lane album by Le SuperHomard was one of 2019's highlights, a sophisticated and smart serving of melodic indie pop. It's something that their label Elefant Records specialises in.

The new track's a welcome slice of Californian sunshine that's much needed these days. When it's easy to dwell on the negative news that hits us every day, the need for optimism is greater than ever and it's worth remembering that better times will come.

Home haircuts with Yelle

A lockdown re-styling for Yelle by the looks of things in the video for the new song Je t'aime encore.

It's been six years since Julie Budet, Grand Marnier and Tepr dropped an album, 2014's Complètement Fou and since then there has been a slow and steady stream of singles, most recently 2018's OMG!!!

Directed by Loïc Prigent, a French director noted for his documentaries about fashion, the video features Haute Coiffure hairdresser Charlie Le Mindu. If you're going for the lockdown haircut, you might as well call in the best.

The song's a lot less frenetic than their usual technicolor technopop, and could easily be interpreted as a song about Julie's relationship with France, where the band have not perhaps enjoyed the success that they should have. Yelle have, after all, made some significant inroads in the USA including a tour supporting Katy Perry, while in France they still remain better known for their debut single Je veux te voir, released back in 2006.

As well as a new album, They've got live dates ahead, fortunately much later in the year, with a sold-out show at Paris La Cigale on October 29 and a second date now added on the 30th.

Emilie Simon versus the UFO invasion

A new track from Emilie Simon, Cette Ombre, wrapped in a sinister Science Fiction package emerges just as the US Department of Defense releases video footage of 'unexplained aerial phenomena'.

Coincidence? You think so? I want to believe, as they used to say on the X Files...

Writing on her Facebook page she fills in some of the song's back story: "Planet Earth, 2020. Our planet is under threat. Enormous spaceships approach, and in their wake a Shadow grows, sowing the seeds of fear, terror and pain."

Cette Ombre is the first track from her forthcoming EP Mars on Earth 2020, written and produced in her home studio during the lockdown.

For the forthcoming EP, she elaborates: "2020. Planet Earth is under attack. Faced with an unknown invader, Humanity is experiencing an unprecedented shift. What will remain of it ?"

Her last release was the soundtrack to the movie The Jesus Rolls, a film that was both a remake of the French 70s film Les Valseuses and a spin-off from Coen Brothers cult comedy The Big Lebowski.

It's easy to see the 80s apocalyptic science fiction references in Emilie Simon's new work, but the reflection of the strangeness of our present times shines through. Whether it's alien invaders or a virus, there's a recognition that change is afoot and things are going to be very different in the very near future.

Sébastien Tellier: Domestic Tasks (and new album next month)

Lockdown getting you down? Don't worry, because Sébastien Tellier is here to take care of your Domestic Tasks.

There are few things that can be relied on these days, but Tellier can be counted on to deliver something unique and strange. This one manages to be otherworldly even when his focus is on every day minutiae.

The press release for his new album suggests it's a concept album, but one that's very different from the lofty works from artists in the 1970s.

"Its topic, domestication, will speak to anybody delightfully familiar with the everyday domestic ballet of a household.

"Mostly written at home, Sébastien allowed himself to be inspired by what he had in front of him: piles of plates stacked in the sink, dirty socks spread out on the scratched floor, two beautiful children he has yet to domesticate… or is it him now who is being domesticated?"

The new track has emerged following the release of the song A Ballet at the end of January, ahead of his forthcoming album Domesticated. His last full album, the Brazilian flavoured L'Aventura was released in 2016 and since then he's been busy with projects including soundtracks and collaborating with Dita Von Teese on her debut album.

As for this release, his record company makes clear: "In his mind, he had only one ambition: gathering a fresh new guard of producers with the aim of crafting a new lush, futuristic pop sound, although still infused by his eternal and oh so special melodies."

Plans for live shows are currently - unsurprisingly - suspended, but Domesticated is released on May 29.

Un Printemps Imaginaire - a festival during lockdown

If there's a festival that usually signals the start of festival season in France, it's Le Printemps de Bourges. But like so many events this year, COVID-19 has meant its inevitable cancellation this year.

It's a key event as it gives many developing acts a significant showcase where they can present new work that's coming later in the year, building reputations and a following in the run-up to a release.

Given the situation, organisers wanted some form of event to take place, obviously in an online environment.

But rather than simply relying on live performances at home, acts were given free rein to create what they wanted for Un Printemps Imaginaire from April 21 to 26.

They ended up with a pretty unique event, with memorable performances from some outstanding artists. No small achievement during the current situation.

Hopefully, other festival organisers are considering their next moves as while there is no playing down the crisis that affects everything at the moment, there are opportunities to create some luminous moments and these are certainly needed more than ever.

Le Printemps de Bourges will hopefully be back to normal next year, but until then here are a few of the acts and performances that we enjoyed:

La Grande Sophie 



Mauvais Oeil


Marie-Flore


Aloise Sauvage 


Jeanne Added performs Prince's Take Me With U


Renan Luce performs a cover of a Barbara song



The finale of the event was -M-, performing a new version of Mojo with Deluxe 

Comett - new single - Love is what you make it

A new single and a new album on the horizon from Comett, an act that's been a favourite of this blog for quite a while.

Comett is the work of Alexandre Canola, and they've been producing great work since their first EP in 2005. They first came to the attention of this blog with their 2011 Once upon a Time/ The city of Lights single.

The new track Love is what you make it comes from the forthcoming album - their fourth - The ghost inside me and follows last year's Reset collection. That album was their first in French, the new track sees a return to performing again in English.

Comett walks a magical path between indie pop, rock and electronic music, at times dream-like and fragile, at others epic and full of wonder. Their back catalogue deserves your full attention if you're not familiar with it yet, and you really should be.

The cover artwork was created by the Parisian artist Julie Jup who will be behind the graphics for next album.

It's a tough time for emerging acts and the recent situation has only made things more difficult. There's no opportunity to play live, no reaching new ears, no introducing new material to an existing audience and crucially a massive hit to already slender incomes.

We've always enjoyed featuring new music here, and hopefully, in a small way, we can help make things that little bit better.

The return of Woodkid!

A very welcome return for Woodkid with a new video for the track Goliath.

The artist known to friends and family as Yoann Lemoine was responsible for 2013's The Golden Age, one of this blog's favourite albums in recent years.

Originally a graphic designer, he'd directed music videos before then for the likes of Yelle and  Nolwenn Leroy as well as international acts like Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey.

By the time his early singles - Iron, and Run Boy Run - were released ahead of his album, he was already a respected figure and his visual style added significantly to the music.

Seven years is a long time in music, and Goliath comes ahead of Woodkid's second album. Since his debut, there have been a handful of releases including the 2016 Ellis EP and the soundtrack for Mexican film Desierto. To say this new album is 'anticipated' is a bit of an understatement.

During the time between albums, he's hardly been idle having directed the iconic video for the Harry Styles single Sign of the Times, a number one single in the UK, a top five in the USA and a top three in France. The video has had over 500 million views on YouTube and was the winner of the British Artist Video of the Year at the 2018 Brit Awards.

Needless to say, the new track is an epic, but with an understated and introspective vocal. There are obviously echos of his earlier work, but it's far from a simple continuation of his earlier work.

The video, shot in the Czech Republic, was shown as a premier on YouTube following a live chat. Asked what inspired him for the new album, he replied: "The industrial scale of things, and the smallness of humans."

He added that other inspiration included: "Many more other inspirations, Akira, Japanese breakcore..."

You can see something of this aesthetic reflected on the adaptiveminerals.com website and on the video. There's something of the style of photographer Sebastião Salgado in the vision here.

Asked about who worked with him on the album, he said: "A lot of people collaborated on this record, including Tepr Son Lux, Esser, Phazz, Sally Herbert and many more!!" 

I'm sure remixes and soundtrack opportunities are already being planned, but I can't help but be excited by this release itself and the prospect of more to come.

Editorial - April 2020 - Rebonjour!

When you've been away for a while it can be tough to decide when to return. Especially given the immensity of the events that have been going on over the past couple of months.

We return to a very different music scene in France. Festivals cancelled, tours postponed with a dystopian backdrop of deserted cities, a population in lockdown and the spectre of the pandemic hovering over everything with its henchmen Death, Illness and Fear at large.

While we're seeing some of the worst of times, we're also seeing the best of people. Our health providers are showing they are the cornerstones of society that our politicians and military can only aspire to be.

While our celebrities have not all covered themselves in glory during this time, our artists have been crucial to our well being, perhaps differently and more significantly than before. What was once regarded simply as entertainment is now acknowledged as essential for our mental well-being.

As we stay indoors, we turn to our TVs, our books and music to connect and engage with each other and while our conversations may be online, we are still talking about and sharing the things we love.

It's easy to dwell on the negatives of the current situation. We're all affected personally and we're all feeling it to a lesser or greater extent. But there are good things happening and this blog with its focus on French music wants to reflect this.

While events are cancelled or postponed and projects have been sidelined, there's a strong amount of remarkable material emerging even now. Whether scheduled new releases or unique special performances, there's much that demands our attention. We'll be across it.

Thanks for reading, stay safe and à bientôt.

JK

Festivals 2020: -M- and Black Eyed Peas for Solidays

Another of France's major summer festivals has confirmed some more of the names on its bill, with Solidays, one of the big events in Paris, listing the more names to appear at this year's event.

The biggest new international name is Black Eyed Peas, following the recent success of Ritmo. While WIll I Am might be a household name in the UK, due to his regular appearance on The Voice UK, he's not one of the judges of the show in France where he's perhaps known for his music, tracks like I've got a feeling and Where is the love being massive hits in France as they were elsewhere.

Metronomy and The Black Madonna are among the new acts announced.

Already confirmed at the top of the bill is -M-,  who has been touring in support of last year's Lettre Infinie album. He's got shows in arenas all over France in May, and also plays at some of the country's other summer events including Main Square festival, in June and July. He's also at the O2 Brixton Academy in London in April.

Laurent Garnier, Aya Nakamura, Deluxe , Niska,  Zola and Videoclub and are among others who were confirmed earlier. Others will be added in the coming months.

It's the 22nd edition of the festival, an event that combines activism as much as music. This year it's taking place on June 19 - 21 at Hippodrome de Longchanps.

Tickets go on sale on February 6.

Noir Désir - Débranche

A low-key collection of previously-unreleased recordings by legendary French act Noir Désir has emerged, ten years after the band ceased to exist after singer Bertrand Cantat was imprisoned for the killing of his partner.

Cantat was convicted in 2004 of the killing of actress Marie Trintignant in Lithuania, and sentenced to eight years in jail he was released in 2007. The following year Noir Désir made hesitant steps to resume their career, but only two more tracks emerged before it was confirmed that the band would not continue.

Débranché, a double live acoustic album features two separate sessions from 1997 and 2002. Both sets feature the songs in intimate acoustic settings.

The first disc features a session recorded for Italian radio while the band were promoting their Des visages des figures album. It features seven songs,  Si rien ne bouge, Le vent nous portera, L’homme pressé, Des visages des figures, Les écorchés, À l'envers à l'endroit and Song for JLP.

The second disc a shorter 45rpm 12'' features four tracks,  Un jour en France, Fin de siècle, Song for JLP and Back to You, and was recorded for TV show Much Electric in Argentina during the band's  666.667 Club tour.

For a band like Noir Désir, the recordings capture the band at the peak of their craft and their popularity, and even now ten years after they split they remain hugely influential and popular.

But there's been little by way of archive raiding by the record company, with 2011's Soyons désinvoltes, n'ayons l'air de rie compilation of hits and rarities marking their last release until now.

Obviously, there are complex and unaddressed issues regarding whether it's right or not to release material that benefit's Cantat, who now performs as a solo artist, but who remains at the centre of the debate on whether rehabilitation is possible for such a high-profile artist.

The new album's had a discrete release, no supporting interviews or videos and it's only available on vinyl and streaming. There aren't even any pictures of the band on the packaging.

It looks like the record company are taking sensible steps to steer a difficult course between the demand for material from a much-loved and fondly-remembered act, and the very hard reality of what Canat did.

Is it right to enjoy archive Noir Désir in 2020 in light of their subsequent history? That's not a question that's easy to answer.

Paris gets Johnny Hallyday square

It looks like Paris will soon have an Esplanade Johnny Hallyday, with an area outside the AccorHotels arena reportedly earmarked for renaming after the star.

According to Le Parisien, the open space in the 12th arrondisement will be named after France's music legend, two years after he died from lung cancer.

Over his decades-long career, Hallyday played the arena 101 time, with a total of over 1 million people seeing him there. Several of his live albums were recorded at the venue including the Les Vieilles Canailles Le Live album documenting his tour with Jacques Dutronc and Eddy Mitchell, released in November 2019

It's one of the busiest arenas in the world, while predominately hosting sporting events - especially tennis - some of the biggest musical acts have played there including Paul McCartney, Kylie Minogue and U2.

The decision to honour Hallyday by naming part of the French capital after him has been discussed widely since his death. There were a number of possible locations in the city mentioned, but it seems that the Bercy location has been deemed the most appropriate. A statue of Hallyday may be added to the square later.

A Paris street was named after David Bowie last month, and there's already an Esplanade Johnny Hallyday in Toulouse, located outside the city's Zenith arena, which was unveiled last year by the mayor in the presence of Hallyday's widow Laeticia.

The decision to rename the square in Paris will be retified by the next Paris council meeting, to be held on February 3.

Thomas Dutronc meets Iggy Pop and Diana Krall

Always good when an artist you've followed for decades drops something that's both unexpected and interesting.

In this case it's Iggy Pop, who has collaborated with  Thomas Dutronc and Diana Krall  for a jazz-flavoured cover of C'est si bon.

The track, in French and English, features on Dutronc's forthcoming album, Frenchy, to be released on March 20, It features covers of French standards that have also enjoyed success in English, including  La vie en rose, Autumn Leaves and My Way. Tracks are sung in both English and French.

Not the first time Iggy's been involved in French music, as those who have followed him can attest.

In '93 he featured as a guest on Les Rita Mitsouko's Système D album and on 97's Jazz A Saint Germain album, he duetted with  Francoise Hardy - Thomas Dutronc's mother - on the track I'll Be Seeing You.

More recently, he covered Kosma/Prévert's standard Les feuilles mortes on his 2009 Préliminaires  album and subsequently recording La Vie en rose, La Javanaise, Et si tu n'existais pas and  Les Passantes on 2012's Après.

His choice of covers, while including some that would be familiar to even those without much knowledge of French music, covers by artists like Joe Dassin and Georges Brassens suggest Iggy's interest is more than just an affectation.

His cover of La Javanaise even involved music input from Lulu Gainsbourg, Pop having previously guested on Lulu's From Gainsbourg to Lulu album.

While these albums might not have garnered the critical praise that 2016's Post Pop Depression and last year's Free did, they give a pretty good indication of what Iggy's personal playlist must be like.

For all the apparent paradox of the iconic Idiot crooning a French jazz standard, it's nothing too out of step for  such a unique artist. This is, after all, the guy who could cover of Louie Louie and namedrop Dostoevsky.

SebastiAn and L'Impératrice at Coachella 2020

Coachella festival is a pretty special event.  It's very much the well-heeled Californian cousin of the likes of Glastonbury and there's always a considerable amount of stars on the stage and beautiful people in the audience.

But it's also key showcase for emerging talent with the west coast based entertainment industry, whether cinema, music or TV right on its doorstep.

For all the headliner - this year it's the turn of Rage Against the Machine Frank Ocean and Travis Scott - and the other big-name acts - among them Thom Yorke, Lana Del Rey, Calvin Harris and FKA Twigs - it's a unique platform for artists to get heard by the kind of people who can make careers happen.

I'm always on the look out in the small print in the poster for the well-chosen French act, so it was great to see L'Impératrice and SebastiAn making an appearance.

While neither are exactly new acts, both having several releases under their belts, they're still new names to the wide american audience.

SebastiAn released his Thirst album in November, his second full studio album, but the Ed Banger records mainstay has been releasing material under his own name since 2005 and has worked with Justice, Kavinsky, Woodkid and Charlotte Gainsbourg, who features on his recent album.



L'Impératrice too have been around for a few years and built up a considerable reputation for their modern take on disco, releasing their debut Matahari in 2018.

L'Impératrice begins a tour in February supporting the deluxe re-edition treatment of Matahari. They are playing at the O2 Shepherd's Bush in London on February 20 and La Cigale in Paris in March, followed by shows across north America.


This year's Coachella takes place on the weekends of April 10 and April 17

Editorial: January 2020

So it's been a quiet place here for the last few months, I guess what looked initially like a time when I had to focus on other things became a full-on hiatus for this blog.

Time to switch the lights back on and boot up the laptop again.

When I've been away from here there's always a thought that I'll upgrade the blog with some huge improvements, spend some time on a new home page and get some more feature-length pieces ready. But rather than set myself up for a fall I'll just start things with small steps, getting back into regular posts with some fine French music to enjoy, and build from that.

A bit more organic, a bit more achievable.

Why? There's more motivation than ever. The French music scene is vibrant and still remains a secret to far too many. It deserves all the attention we can give it and there's much to cover.

It's a strange time with media becoming more focused and narrow while the torrent of great material is more accessible than ever. I love being able to immerse myself in new music from France - whether punk from Rennes, Paris hip-hop or Provençal psych - online and can investigate new releases by established acts without having to pay my salary directly to Fnac every month. Just don't expect to hear any of it too soon on the radio in the UK.

You'll find it here.

We aim to bring updates about French music, from developing acts to the established names, with an eye on new talent and an awareness of the rich heritage of French music that still remains something of a mystery to the anglophone audience.

As the UK moves towards greater anglophone insularity, we believe entirely in the value of introducing French culture in our own small way as best we can. It enriches us artistically in the UK and helps our many friends in France as well.

We hope some acts that have built a reputation in France get the opportunity to reach a wider international audience. Acts who have an audience already in France can move easily onto an global stage as Christine and the Queens and Daft Punk show, but smaller acts can benefit from establishing themselves in the UK and beyond. A successful indie release or a tour can be a major opportunity for an artist in a new market.

So we aim to do what we've been doing for the last few years, but doing more of it this year. Whether it's brief new articles or longer features, video clips or reviews, we'll be across as much as we can be here. We've got some plans and some new things that we'll hopefully get to but in the meantine, allons y!