Les Roche Martin

Recently, La Belle Epoque and La Musique du Moment were released, two compilations on EMI (or to be more precise, EMI's reissue label Zonophone) containing old and new French popmusic. I'm not too impressed by La Musique du Moment, featuring songs by usual suspects like Biolay, Camille, Coralie Clement, Keren Ann and Alexis HK - most songs are real good, but why call your comp Music of the Moment if it features no brandnew songs by artists who just released a new album (Keren Ann) or will do any moment (Clement, Biolay). You're better off with any of the Le Pop compilations when it comes to new French music.
La Belle Epoque is better (apart from the major misspellings on the sleeve and in the liner notes), it features great yeye-pop by filles like Christie Laume, Anne Kern, Alice Dona and Les Roche Martin. It's as good as any Sixties Girls-comp on Magic Records. Take Les Roche Martin. To quote from the Belle Epoque-liner notes (by Brit-journo Kieron Tyler): "Their unique sound combined with the vocal sophistication of the Swingle Singers with a Pet Sounds sensibility - harpsichords, oboes and strings baroquely drift in and out of the arrangements. It's like Stereolab, only 20 years too early. Signed to Pathé Marconi in 1966 by singer-songwriter Michel Berger, the one boy, two-girl trio featured Veronique Sanson and her sister Violaine (...) Nowadays Les Roche Martin's super-rare original releases regularly fetch 400 euros." More on LRM here.

Les Roche Martin - Les Mains des les Poches
Les Roche Martin - Tu a Peur de Bruit
Les Roche Martin - C'est Toi qui a gache notre vie