Ariane, Etyl

The giveaways are, err, given away. Two lucky FS-visitors win the Coralie Clement-promo (yup, I got two). First up is Gilbert from Unionville with his guestpost on Ariane Moffatt:

Choosing my favourite song sung in French by a girl was perhaps one of the most difficult tasks with which I have been presented, but upon thinking about it, the answer became clear. It had to be "Hasard" by the lovely Ariane Moffatt. The pop-perfect melody, Ariane's enchanting, smooth, girlish voice, the simple, yet effective and endearing lyrics, and, of course, the beats combine to make one of the best songs I have ever heard. It is a perfect combination of house, trip-hop, and singer-songwriter music. The programming of the beats, subtle electronic nuances, and especially the buried effect of Ariane's piano create an "underwater" effect that is found on many other songs on the Aquanaute album(notably "Bien Dans Rien"). This song pulled me in within the first few seconds of my very first listen. There is something positively irresistible about Ariane's voice. It has an endearing girlish quality, yet it is still quite mature. It is passionate, smooth, charming. I could go on and on about her voice alone, but I shall save that for another day. This song combines everything I love about music. It's a little bit Tori Amos, a little bit trip-hop, a little bit house, yet it manages to be so refreshingly unique and original. Ariane's beautiful voice coupled with masterful instrumentation make this a song I truly cannot live without.

Ariane Moffatt - Hasard (video)

Next is Virginia from Baton Rouge, on Etyl:

I discovered Etyl through this blog and bought their new CD, Souris, because I liked Je m'fais Mal and Noël. The first few times I listened to it, I was disappointed. I purchased Souris around the same time I got Camille's Music Hole, and I was much more impressed with the latter. However, I recently listened to a few songs from Etyl's first album La Tortue and I fell in love with En l'homme. I love the refrain 'Je crois en l'homme, malgre tout. Je crois en l'homme, meme aux fous' and the jazzy beat. Since then, I decided to give their new CD another chance and I found that it was much better than I initially thought. Anyway, En l'homme is a great song to sing when you're feeling a bit misanthropic.

Etyl - En l'homme (video)