Grand Corps Malade's new clip: C'est aujourd'hui que ça se passe

I love this new clip for C'est aujourd'hui que ça se passe from Grand Corps Malade, I could listen to it on repeat for hours. 

As always he plays with words and rhythms, repetition and vocabulary. If I was just learning French or teaching it to those who were, GCM would be one of the finest teaching assistants that could be deployed. Language becomes a joyous thing in his hands without being overly complicated or obscure.

As for the track itself, it's a joyous thing, uplifting and positive without being trite or oversimplified. If you want the future - either a collective future or simply your own future - to be better, make it start now. Today.

It's all too easy to get in a rut and not get on with the things done that you say you will, to regret not having done it the following day, to plan to make things happen but procrastinate to the point that they don't emerge. I'm as guilty as most, and the weight of unaccomplished things can be a burden we can all do without. GCM makes it clear that life is an interactive game, not a spectator sport, and that rather than putting things off to the next day if we get on with them now we can have a better future. It's extraordinarily uplifting and liberating, simple and effective. 

The actual visuals are simple, GCM looking through a window at the world in its various ways in motion, whether city skyline or Paris streetscape, sea or sky and stars. With his image in the glass, it's a nice metaphor for being both reflective and looking outwards.

The song is the third release from his REFLETS album that came out in October last year, and the follows Retiens les rêves and Le jour d'après. He's been on tour for the last three months, with two dates in Paris, and he plays the summer festivals across France and beyond before returning to tour the arenas towards the end of the year.

I'll have this song on repeat to banish the uncertainty, the doubts and the inertia. The more I listen the more it impresses me. If we make things happen we can, as he puts it, turn our DeLorean Back To The Present. There might not be as much time as we think, but there's still space to take care of two or three important things.

Make it happen today, it's now or never.

Festi'Val de Marne

I always enjoy drawing attention to the music festivals that are held in France, and while the overwhelming majority take place over the summer, with something worthwhile on pretty much every weekend, it's good to see things don't dry up completely as Autumn takes hold.

This year's Festi'Val de Marne runs from today until October 20, and sees an impressive number of acts performing across 24 town in the  department in the Île-de-France.

Acts performing include Grand Corps Malade, Miossec and the mighty Feu! Chatterton. Elsewhere, Les Néhgresses Vertes, Pomme and Aquaserge are on the bill, as are Cats on Trees and Hollydays. There's a wide range of styles on display, with local communities getting the chance to experience some well-chosen developiong and estabished acts.

Other events include special shows for youngsters, including one intriguingly entitled Gainsbourg for kids.

With the venues of the Val de Marne easily accessible from Paris, it's no surprise that the festival has had a long history. With the theme 'Where the music embraces the words', this year marks the 32nd time the event's been held.

César Awards 2018

France's movie industry gets its big night out tonight with the César awards, and it's encouraging to see some of the country's music getting some recognition.

Obviously it remains to be seen who wins, but with a movie like 120 Battements par minute getting 13 nominations on the back of its Grand Jury prize at Cannes it'll probably make a significant impact. Set in the 80s in the early days of the Aids crisis it tells the story of young French activists, with the music of the era taking a significant central place in the drama.

Elsewhere, there's a biopic of Barbara which has received a total of eight nominations, including best film and best female hope for the star Jeanne Balibar.

But the film I hope does the best is Patient, a movie that is essentially the work of Grand Corps Malade. It's nominated for best film, best debut, best adaptation and best actor. GCM co-directed the movie which is set in a rehabilitation centre for those with disabilities, some as a result of accident, others from birth.

It features the story of Ben, played by Pablo Pauly, who after an accident faces the struggles, despair and resignation, as well as the friendship and hope in the midst of his situation.

I'd be very surprised if it doesn't pick up at least two awards.

Charlotte Gainsbourg is shortlisted for best actress for her role in La promesse de l'aube, and former Nouvelle Star performer Camélia Jordana is a contender for best female hope for her part in Le Brio.

The Céar awards always get overshadowed by the Oscars, taking place the same weekend, but the Césars are an important annual reminder that there is a vigorous cinema outside the Academy's 'Best foreign film' category.

Editorial: March 2018

A successful February on the blog here, the highlight for me being the number of visitors to the site. An absolute record by quite a margin in the last month, not bad especially when you're considering it was the shortest month of the year.

That's all very well, but its the content here that matters at the end of the day. I'm pleased with what I managed to do. As always, could have done more, but there are always a huge number of competing demands on my time and spending time writing planning and organising posts on this blog can often take a back seat.

But on the whole, a successful month. Mostly down to some great releases and news, from Mylene Farmer dropping a new single unexpectedly, to Barbagello touring (most of) the UK, via this year's Victoires de la Musique awards in France.

There was plenty happening last month, and it certainly looks similar in March. The month gets under way with more awards, the César awards on Friday have a serious amount of music related content with Grand Corps Malade up for four awards and 120 battements par minute leading the nominations.

Elsewhere, there are live appearances from Charlotte Gainsbourg in the UK at the end of the month, as well as shows from Kid Francescoli at London's 100 club. Significant releases include the new album from Cats on Trees and Julien Doré, and events in March include the Paris Music Festival which brings musicians to some of the French capital's more interesting locations.

As always, you can contact us at johnkilbrideAThotmailDOTcom, with the appropriate punctuation where you'd expect it to be.

I'm always pleased to hear from record companies, PR companies and promoters, so do drop me an email. I'm always keen to hear new things, and relay information about acts I already know and love.

The blog is also on Twitter as @viveleroq, although that's pretty much just an autofeed when we update with a new article. You can usually find me on my personal Twitter account quicker, @karnag

If you're around Facebook, remember to like the French Music Podcast UK page, where you can get regular updates with both fresh and vintage French music.

Thanks as always to the good folks at Oui Love Music From France.

John K

Grand Corps Malade on C à Vous

Is there a bigger figure at the moment than Grand Corps Malade?

With his new album Plan B released earlier this month, GCM shows his style remains as poetic and his delivery as unique as ever.

If Leonard Cohen had been a French slam artist, he's probably have sounded a lot like GCM.

He appeared on French evening TV show C à Vous as a smooth yet fiery digestif following dinner in the studio.


Beyond the release of his sixth album, GCM is walking tall after his film Patients picking up four nominations for next months César Awards.

The film is shortlisted in four categories in the French equivalent of the Oscars, best adaptation, best first film, best male hope and best film. The films already been a success, an award would be an exceptional achievement.

Grand Corps Malade and the César Award nominations

The César Awards shortlist is unveiled today.

It's a prestigious event, like its American equivalent The Oscars, and among the music related nominations, it's a real pleasure to see one of the biggest figures in France's music scene at the receiving end of four nominations.

His film Patients is on the shortlisted for four awards, best adaptation, best first film, best male hope and. most significantly, best film.

Patients is set in a rehabilitation centre for those with disabilities. Some, like the film's protagonist Ben played by César nominated Pablo Pauly, as a result of an accident, others from birth. It tells of the struggle, despair and resignation they face, as well as the friendship and hope they experience as a consequence of their difficulties.

The film was directed by Grand Corps Malade and Mehdi Idir.

Elsewhere in the César shortlist, music related films are at the forefront of this year's main contenders.

A biopic of the chanteuse Barbara is nominate in eight different categories, including best film and best female hope for Jeanne Balibar who took on the lead role.

Elsewhere, 120 battements par minute is set in the early years of the 80s Aids outbreak and tells the story of activists involved in the early fight, with Bronski Beat's anthem Smalltown Boy taking on a central part in the film. It's got 13 nominations and previously won the Cannes film festival Grand Jury prize.

Meanwhile, singer Camélia Jordana, star of TV reality show Nouvelle Star is in the running hfor best female hope for her role in the movie Le Brio, where she starred alongside Daniel Auteuil.

Charlotte Gainsbourg is nominated for best actress for her part in La promesse de l'aube.

The César awards ceremony takes place on March 2 in Paris.

Vive le Roq Album of the year 2015

A look at French music in 2015 cannot fail to take into account the tragedies that unfold in Paris. Discussing the events in the context of a music blog seems both inapproriate but unavoidable, such was the shadow cast.

To ignore it would be grossly insensitive, but to mention it a crass appropriation of other people's sorrow.

But I've always been interested in French music, and that is what will focus on here. I'll leave the geopolitics to others, but the events that unfolded this year will be felt in the French music world for years to come.

In terms of what else happened in music in 2015,  there might not have been a massive international breakthrough like Daft Punk, but the acts at the current forefront of the French scene have continued to release strong new material.

Christine and the Queens released their debut album in the USA with new songs including the wonderful Jonathan.



Stromae's Quand c'est was one of the year's most remarkable videos, as the success of his 2013 Racine Carrée collection saw him embark on adventures in North America and Africa.



Respectable releases too from stars of previous generations, with new material from Mylene Farmer, Johnny Hallyday and Jean-Michel Jarre all showing that established artists can still have something to offer.





But focussing on five of the best releases of 2015 brings some other acts to mind.

Fauve's Vieux Frères, Partie 2 was the release that saw the act fully deliver on the promise of their debut. As good as that release was, it never quite hit the spot for me as much as I felt it should. No reservations about its follow up whatsoever, and with Les Hautes Lumières  simply one of the best French language songs of recent years.



 A more electronic proposition came from Rone, with the album Creatures. It's a mature and confident album, taking modern electronic music somewhere where it is more cerebral, but remains accessible at the same time.


 Who would have expected an album that saw Grand Corps Malade with not only  Charles Aznavour and also include the return or Renaud? GCM's Il nous restera ça album took seemingly disparate elements in its stride,  and raised the bar when it comes to spoken word performance.



 An album I thouroughly enjoyed was the debut by Blind Digital Citizen, Premières vies, which came out in March. It continues the trend of France producing wonderful genre defying modern rock acts, somewhere between rock, electro and psychedelic with a nod to chanson.



But if an album of the year must be chosen, unquestionably it came from Feu! Chatterton in the form of their Ici le jour (a tout enseveli) collection.

The Paris-based five piece have this year moved from critical acclaim to becoming one of the country's most significant acts. Their influences run deep, from 18th Century poetry, 19th century painters and Alain Bashung , jazz, and indie rock, but the songs on their album sound like no one else.

Grand Corps Malade: Pocahontas

A cracking new video by Grand Corps Malade, the song Pocahontas from his most recent album.

The album, entitled, Il nous restera ça, was releases at the end of last month.

The album features guest appearances by a diverse cast of other artists, including Renaud and Charles Aznavour, but this track focuses entirely on GCM himself.

It's a remarkable video, in the best tradition of being a simple idea done perfectly. I thoroughly enjoyed the the album it comes from, nice to see a video that gives it more of the attention that it deserves.

Review: Grand Corps Malade: Il nous restera ça

A new album released today by Grand Corps Malade, with Il nous restera ça seeing France's favourite spoken-word slammer sharing the stage with some other big names.

Fabien Marsaud as friends and fgamily might know him collaborates here with others  including  Charles Aznavour, as well as Ben Mazué, Fred Pellerin and Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine.

The collection includes a return of sorts for a genuine French music legend, with Renaud featuring  on the track Ta batterie.

The return of Renaud to the microphone is not without its controversy, his text poetic but his words frail, health problems in recent years all but derailing one of France's most distinctive voices.





Renaud's last release was 2009's Molly Malone – Balade irlandaise collection. The release in recent years of the two La Bande à Renaud tribute albums, where young artists re-interpreted his work, has given a new generation of listeners an insight into his work.

But GCMS puts the focus of the album on the poetry, and the Renaud track in the context of the album is perfect. The variety of voices on the collection, some familiar some less so, gives it a broader scope than GCMs previous work.

The differing voices and styles could leave this collection too disparate to work, but under the not inconsiderable shadow of GCM it holds together well.

He's a big figure, and this latest step leaves quite an impression.

 

Grand Corps Malade: L'heure des poètes

A new track by Grand Corps Malade heralding his new album, due out towards the end of next
 month.

The new collection by the artist known to his friends and family as Fabien Marsaud features collaboration with others including Renaud, Charles Aznavour, HF Thiefaine and Fred Pellerin.

While a new release by GCM is certainly something to celebrate, the re-involvement of the legendary Renaud on the album will certainly be waited on with anticipation.

His last album was 2013's  Funambule, a top five album in France.

Grand Corps Malade has a couple of symphonic gigs ahead, with one in Lyon on November 23 and another at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on November 24,

 L'heure des poètes is released on October 23.

Grand Corps Malade: Le Bout Du Tunnel

I missed this when it was released as I was on holiday, but a striking new clip for a piece of music
from the last album by  Grand Corps Malade.

The clip for Le Bout Du Tunnel by Mehdi Idir features Izia Higelin and Nicolas Duvauchelle.

The track Le Bout Du Tunnel is based on  the true story of Laurent Jacqua who spent 25 years in prison after he shot two skinheads who attacked him. One die, the other was left paralysed.

In prison he was found to be HIV+. He was some years later released but would return to prison following involvement in crime, and a subsequent escape attempt led to another sentence, this time in a high security unit.

It was here he began to write, blogging about the injustices of the French prison system.

It was through his writing that he began to turn his life around. He was eventually released in 2010.

Le Bout Du Tunnel features on Grand Corps Malade 2013 album Funambule.

Grand Corps Malade - #JeSuisCharlie

Another expression of solidarity following this week's outrage in Paris.

Grand Corps Malade is one of France's most distinctive voices, and his take on the events makes essential listening.

As with others, it is a dignified and appropriate reflection on an act of barbarism, an artist reacting to events with clarity.

The consequences of what unfolded in Paris will be played out for a long time, the dust has not settled yet.

But France's response to one of its darkest hours has been little short of inspirational.

Renaud: La Bande à Renaud Versions Originales

A recent tribute album La Bande à Renaud takes songs by French singer Renaud and sees them re-
interpreted by other artists.

These kind of collections have proved hugely popular in France in recent years, with the Génération Goldmancollections selling thousands of copies. Of course, while evidently a worthwhile commercial proposition, they also serve to introduce a new audience to the work of one of France's finest songwriters and performers.

I thought the release merited a look at the Vesions Originales of the songs, as they were performed by Renaud Séchan himself.

Manu: A track from Renaud's 1981 Le Retour de Gérard Lambert album. The version on the album is sung by Jean-Louis Aubert



Mistral gagnant: The title track from his 1985 album. It's proved to be one of his most durable songs, with several artist covering it over the years since. The La Bande à Renaud version is performed by Cœur de Pirate, and made it into the top 20 as a single.



La pêche à la ligne: Another track from the 1985 Mistral gagnant collection. On La Bande à Renaud it is sung by Bénabar.



Laisse béton: The title track from his 1977 album. The new version is by rapper Disiz.



Il pleut: A track from his 1988 Putain de camion album. Élodie Frégé performs a version on the Bande à Renaud album.



Chanson pour Pierrot: A track from his 1979 Ma gonzesse album.  The  Bande à Renaud album features a cover by Raphaël.



Hexagone: One of the songs that made Renaud famous, a track from his 1975 debut album Amoureux de Paname. Nicola Sirkis, the singer with Indochine, performs the version that appears on  La Bande à Renaud.



Deuxième génération: A song from his 1983 Morgane de Toi album The new compilation features a version by Benjamin Biolay.



La ballade nord-irlandaise: A track that featured on his Marchand de cailloux album from 1991, and also appeared on his 2009 Molly Malone – Balade irlandaise album, his most recent release. La Bande à Renaud features a version by Nolwenn Leroy



En cloque: Another track from the 1983 Morgane de toi album. The cover on the Bande à Renaud album is by Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine.



C'est quand qu’on va où: A song that comes from his À la Belle de Mai album from 1994. A new version recorded by Carla Bruni features on La  Bande à Renaud .



Je suis une bande de jeunes: Another track from 1977's Laisse béton. The  La  Bande à Renaud  version is performed by Renan Luce, Alexis HK & Benoît Dorémus.



La médaille: An anti-military song from his 1994 À la Belle de Mai collection. The new album features a cover by Grand Corps Malade.



Dès que le vent soufflera: The final track of the La  Bande à Renaud  album, a version by all the artists on the collection. The original fetured on his 1983 Morgane de toi album.

New: Grand Corps Malade - Inch'allah

A new single by Grand Corps Malade, Inch'allah, coinciding with some extensive live dates across France in October and November.

It's another great track by the artist formerly known as Fabien Marsaud, a duet with Algerian rai artist Reda Taliani.

Taliani has been releasing material since 2000, and has collaborated with other French rappers in the past. He now lives in France, near Marseille, and has become an established figure on the French rap/R'n'B scene.

GCM's usual style isn't one that you would think would blend well with a North African vibe, but the Arab dance rhythms and his lyrical flow fit together well. It's maybe a lesson in integration that the song, with its message of people coming together, friendship and rejection of extremism, carries off well.

I featured another track by Grand Corps Malade earlier this year, Romeo Kiffe Juliette, a great song albeit in a more sober and dry style than Inch'alla

GCM's most recent album 3eme temps came out in 2010, and it has been re-issued to coincide with the tour.

New: Grand Corps Malade: Romeo kiffe Juliette

A video today shamelessly inspired by the latest French Music Podcast that I linked to yesterday, It included this astonishing track - Romeo kiffe Juliette, by Grand Corps Malade.

The track is from his third album 3eme temps, released in 2010. He has been releasing material since 2006's Midi 20 album, having worked his way from local poetry slams to some of the most prestigious artistic awards in France in recognition of his work.

I've always been an admirer of French rap, perhaps just in awe of anyone who can speak French at that speed, but GCM takes rap to a new level of lyricism and you have to love the use of modern French that you probably wont find in a dusty old copy of a Collins Robert dictionary.

Frankly, even if you don't get the language first time round, you have to admire the flow and the production. The video is also pretty fine, echoing as it does the song's modern take on a classic with some very contemporary dance moves.

Plenty of live dates in France over 2011, but none in the UK.

Incidentally, today marks a full week of Vive le Roq activities, the first time so far I've managed to do this despite all my best intentions. Looks like we're on track for more posts in February than we've managed not only so far this year but for the whole of last year as well!


Grand Corps Malade - Roméo kiffe Juliette (Clip Officiel)
Uploaded by GrandCorpsMalade. - Watch more music videos, in HD!