Welcome to my French pop and rock section... Here are a few recommendations to albums I've enjoyed that I think you might like as well, ranging from 1960s ye-ye to a few more contemporary albums from France's blossoming indie and electronica scenes. There is also a separate section for older musical styles, such as chanson and musette, if you like the old stuff, too!
Brigette Bardot - see artist profile
Alain Bashung - see artist profile
BB Brunes "Blonde Comme Moi" (Warner-France, 2007)
A charming throwback to the punky-punk clanging about of the Clash, the Damned, the '77 set and some of their immediate offspring... The most immediate cliche would be to label them "a French Green Day", although BB Brunes do have their own personality and unique vitality. It's cute and catchy -- a little predictable, but worth checking out.
Bertrand Betsch "Soupe A La Grimace" (EMI, 1997)
Bertrand Betsch "B.B Sides" (Virgin, 2002)
Bertrand Betsch "Pas De Bras, Pas De Chocolat " (EMI, 2004)
Bertrand Betsch "La Chaleur Humaine" (Pias, 2007)
Benjamin Biolay "Rose Kennedy" (Virgin, 2002)
The album that put writer/crooner/producer Benjamin Biolay on the map, packed with arch, ironic lyrics and densely arranged, uber-hip pop arrangments -- plenty of delerious, wonderfully gratuitous string arrangements, with counterpoint provided by an insouciant electric guitar, and Biolay's cool, whispery vocals. It's quite nice. If you have a soft spot for, say, Serge Gainsbourg, or any of the slightly hipper chanson balladeers, then this disc may really wow you. It's over-the-top, in a calm, confident, sassy kinda way, suggesting an expansive, brazen postmodern pop sensibility to match that of the more bombastic UK Britpop scene, just without the shrillness or needless aggressiveness. Anyway, it's a cool album, with beautiful, aqueous melodies and a narcotized sense of rhythm, and is, I think, better than the follow-up (reviewed below)... Check it out!
Benjamin Biolay "Remix" (EP) (EMI, 2002)
Remixes seven songs from Rose Kennedy, including "Los Angeles," with Keren Ann.
Benjamin Biolay "Negatif" (Virgin, 2003)
Captivating, though perhaps overly calculated, French trip-pop, with elaborately layered, slickly produced, acoustic-to-orchestral soundscapes and cool, laconic vocals. Biolay, who cops an idea or two from Serge Gainsbourg, is also known as the producer of Coralie Clement's recent Salle Des Pas Perdus album... This disc seems more rich and resonant -- it's actually a 2-CD set, with the first disc a full-on display of his arranging techniques, and the second disc a quieter, mainly acoustic affair. It's all pretty good, even if at times it's almost painfully lofty and arch... But then again, he's just being true to his sources! If you like Serge Gainsbourg, Bertrand Burgulat, Francoise Hardy and the like, then this is an album worth checking out... There's something about it that leaves me a little cold, but I still think it's a good album.
Benjamin Biolay/Various Artists "Clara Et Moi (Soundtrack)" (Virgin, 2004)
Benjamin Biolay & Chiara Mastroianni "Home" (Virgin, 2004)
A collaboration with his wife, Chiara Mastroianni, daughter of actors Catherine Deneuve and Marcello Mastroianni. Haven't heard it yet, but I'll let you know when I track it down...
Benjamin Biolay "A L'Origine" (EMI, 2005)
(Produced by Benjamin Biolay & Dominique Blanc-Francard)
Another densely-layered pop-orchestral outing, with perhaps a stronger guitar-rock structural base than before. This album is majestic, but mechanical -- it's intellectually impressive, although I'm not sure how often I would really return to it just for listening pleasure. Includes "Adieu Triste Amour," a duet with the ever-fab Francoise Hardy. A lot of this might be nice in a mix of music, but as an album it's a bit hard to take. Brilliant genius and all, but I wish he'd relax a little.
Benjamin Biolay "Trash YeYe" (Virgin-France, 2007)
(Produced by Benjamin Biolay & Benedicte Schmitt)
Why... It's almost as if he'd read my last review! Here's an alluring album, more subtle and reserved than his last couple of records, yet still with its moments of purposeful excess. The opening tracks, particularly the discretely acoustic opening song, "Bien Avant," are cheerfully anchored in traditional French chanson but with each track he shifts into more modern terrain. Biolay's blend of rock drums, harmonic string orchestrations and softcore electronica coloration has been honed to perfection, and his half-detached, half-intimate husky whispering sets a gloriously wicked, relaxed tone. Less pleasant are the easy ironies of the keening, pointedly irritating background vocals on "Cactus Concerto" (an obvious homage to the spaghetti western soundtracks of the 1960s and '70s) or the grinding, prefab, alt-rock guitars of "Regarder La Lumiere," but on balance this is a fine album, and closer in spirit to his highly-regarded debut, Rose Kennedy. Biolay is still an icy-cool, tres hip pop-music smartypants, but her sure can make some seductive sounds when he wants to. A fine album for fans who like to imagine their musical heros with a cigarette dangling from their lips at every moment... The music itself is smoky and seductive enough to merit a warning from the Surgeon General!
Ronnie Bird "Twistin' The Rock, v.2" (Universal, 2002)
Ronnie Bird "L'Integrale EP & Singles Collection: 1964-1968" (2006)
A 10-CD box set... yikes!
Burt Blanca "French EP Collection" (2007)
Twist-era guitar instrumental cover tunes, ala The Shadows...
Lucky Blondo "Multiplication" (Universal/Fontana , 2003)
Lucky Blondo "Twisting The Rock" (Universal, 2006)
Bombes 2 Bal "Danse Avec Ta Grand-Mere" (Tot Ou Tard, 2004)
Bombes 2 Bal "Bal Indigene" (Tot Ou Tard, 2007)
Mathieu Boogaerts "Ondule Special" (Remark Records, 1995)
A 4-song EP that preceded the Super album (below).
Mathieu Boogaerts "Super" (Remark Records, 1995)
The premiere album by this canny, playful indie trickster... It's anchored in fairly mainstream "alt-rock", with some abrupt, obvious touches, springing from a pop + indiepop vantage point, with softened splashes of reggae and lovely, silky vocals throughout. It's that softness that you should pay attention to: Boogaerts' later work would become surpassingly mellow, lulling, and wonderful. This early album is consistently engaging and warm, although the rock arrangements can be a little intrusive.
Mathieu Boogaerts "Version Simple" (1998)
A limited-edition 4-song EP...
Mathieu Boogaerts "J'En Ai Marre d'Etre Deux" (Island, 1998)
His second album is even more forceful, with a more jarring feel. Even so, the songs are still playful and engaging, even if the arty rock riffs feel kind of canned. You may have to work at appreciating this one, in a way his later albums don't require, but it's still pretty interesting, and his vocal style is quite appealing.
Mathieu Boogaerts "En Public" (1999)
Mathieu Boogaerts "2000" (Tot Ou Tard, 2002)
A dreamy, playful, delightful mix of moods and styles... Odd, off-kilter indiepop interlaced with jazzy music-hall shuffles, as well as a hint of reggae, chanson and folk, all cloaking Boogaert's gentle, appealing vocals. I really love this record. It's consistently engaging, inventive and fun... packed with catchy melodies and very easy on the ears. This was the first of his albums that I came across, and it's still my favorite... Highly recommended!
Mathieu Boogaerts "...En Concert Solo" (DVD) (Tot Ou Tard, 2003)
Mathieu Boogaerts "Michel" (Tot Ou Tard, 2005)
A remarkably soft, quiet, melodic and minimalist album, still in the rock idiom, but super-relaxed and tranquil. I wouldn't say it's as arresting as 2000's 2000, but it's certainly one of his best albums and very easy on the ears. The sort of thing you could listen to over and over, and be happy every time. A standout track is the lilting "Siliguri," which although it's named after a Bengali metropolis and talks about traveling to Hawaii, has a beautiful African-tinged melody, and one of the strongest, most conventional refrains on the entire album. As with other Boogaerts albums, this also has hints of reggae and blues... Lulling and mature; tres bien.
Les Bourgeois De Calais "Nut Rocker" (Magic, 2005)
A CD reissue of a 4-song EP from the 1960s. I think these guys were one of the many French guitar bands that were trying to sound like The Shadows... "Nut Rover" is a pretty lively guitar showcase, while "Les Cavaliers Du Ciel" is an instrumental version "Ghost Riders In The Sky" worthy of Duane Eddy, in his slower moments. The other two tracks are mid-tempo vocal tunes. Not earthshaking, but not bad.
Les Bourgeois De Calais "Sur Un Marche Persan" (EP) (Magic, 2006)
Another 4-song EP from the 1960s. Features "Round And Round," "Sur Un Marche Persan," "Le Copain Que J'Ai Choisi" and "Hully Baby." As with the first EP, this features two instrumentals and two vocal tunes, all of which are more lively than the first disc. Not bad!
Gerard Brent "Fille Qui Me Plait" (Magic, 2001)
A CD reissue of a 4-song EP from the 1960s. The lead track, "Fille Qui Me Plait," is a Frenchified version of "Hippy Hippy Shake"
Francoiz Breut "Francoiz Breut" (Lithium, 1997)
WOW. One of the most striking, alluring, atmospheric, jazzy, sexy French albums you're likely to hear. If you are looking for a truly enchanting, truly different-sounding record to groove out on, give this a try. Produced along with her boyfriend, Dominique A, this features smoky, Marianne Faithfull-style vocals swathed in a cloak of dreamy, somewhat foreboding arrangements not unlike Marc Ribot-era Tom Waits, or (dare I say it?) the Cowboy Junkies. Back when I was a for-real radio DJ, this was one of those records that every time I'd play, the phones rang off the hook with folks who wanted to know what I was playing. It's that kinda record. Highly recommended.
Francoiz Breut "Vingt A Trente Mille Jours" (Labels/Virgin France, 2000)
Though not as haunting as her last album, this shares much of the same brooding grace that endeared France's most downcast mademoiselle to listeners in the late 1990s. Aided once again by Dominique A, Breut has also enlisted many of France's most illustrious indiepoppers, including folks such as Phillipe Katarine and members of Autour de Lucie. The result is a lighter-sounding album which sheds the murky, mystical gravity of her earlier Tom Waits-y leanings in favor of a muted, slightly xylophonic orchestral pop, ala Tindersticks. Although not as immediately spooky as her first album, this is still powerful and poetic, and will hopefully will draw even more listeners into her orbit. Also highly recommended.
Francoiz Breut "Une Saison Volee" (WEA/Tribu, 2005)
Uber-cool and all over the map stylistically, generally speaking this has a harder sound than her earlier albums, and a more mainstream pop-rock feel. A bit of Bjork in there, as well, perhaps? Anyway, this is a listenable, pleasant record, but it doesn't have as much of the mystical, spooky vibe as her earlier albums... Worth checking out, but some fans might be disappointed.
Billy Bridge & Les Mustangs "L'Integrale Sixties" (Magic, 2007)
Carla Bruni "Quel Qu'un Ma' Dit'" (V2/BMG, 2005)
Laid-back cool and acoustic-based minimalism is the watchword on this fine set of whispery, alluring French indiepop tunes. The arrangements are pretty simple -- pretty-sounding acoustic guitar with the occasional addition of simple but not unpleasant slide work -- and the main attraction lies in Bruni's vocals, a mix of too-cool hush, and deft, dancing verbal playfulness. The music is nice, and her complex toungetwisters are just icing on the cake. Forget the comparisons to the incomparable Francoise Hardy -- they're just pointless and unimaginative -- but feel free to enjoy Bruni's music in its own right. You'll be quite pleased; this one's a gem. Oh, and did we already mention that Bruni is a French-Italian supermodel, as well as an industrial heiress (from the Tedeschi family) or that before this she had composed several songs that Julien Clerc recorded on his album Si J'Etais Elle? Or that she dated Mick Jagger, Donald Trump and a bunch of other famous dudes? Must be nice. Well, except the dating Donald Trump part. Also: Kevin Costner? Eww. Anyway, this is a great record, totally worth checking out.
Carla Bruni "No Promises" (Naive, 2007)
Bruni definitely follows her own muse here, switching from alluring, dreamy French acousti-pop to a somewhat riskier mode, choosing not only to sing in English, but to adapt the work of various English-language poets into pop-song format. The material comes straight out of a standard English poetry anthology: W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Emily Dickinson, Dorothy Parker, Christina Rosetti and William Butler Yeats... and Bruni wrests some fascinating lyrical turns out of the various texts, with sympathetic accompaniment from ex-Telephone guitarist Louis Bertignac. In pop terms, her version of Yeats's "Those Dancing Days Are Gone" is the album's catchiest track, but there are plenty of fine tune on here. This might not catch your fancy as readily as the Quel Qu'un Ma' Dit album, but give it a chance, and it will grow on you. Definitely worth checking out...
Bertrand Burgulat "The Sssound Of Music" (Tricatel/Emperor Norton, 2000)
A brilliantly executed set of dense, exuberant high-tech mix'n'match pop, made by the French producer who has sculpted some of April March's glossier recent efforts. This is a seamless merger of retro-'60s melodicism and bouncy trip-hoppish pop, similar to Katerine's work (see below) but a bit less cerebral and a bit more likely to induce actual booty shaking. The chorus on "Sunshine Yellow" ("...white powder/biochemical reaction...") really gave me the creeps when I heard it following the post-September 11th anthrax mail scare, even though the song is just about doing the laundry. Great record... recommended!
Bertrand Burgulat "The Genius Of Bertrand Burgulat" (Tricatel, 2000)
...and the modesty!
Bertrand Burgulat "...Meets A. S. Dragon" (Tricatel, 2001)
Live versions of the songs from the Sssound album...
Bertrand Burgulat "Sunshine Yellow" (Emperor Norton, 2001)
Bertrand Burgulat "Portrait-Robot" (Hit Thing, 2005)
French Music Index
French Chanson & Musette
