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,