Clarika

Earlier this month, I posted a track from breezy-voiced Clarika's La Fille Tu Sais-album. Today Mr. Postman brought me her brandspankingnew disque, Joker. I haven't heard it properly to give an expert opinion, although I can say it's pretty versatile, at some point she really rocks out, dude. Listen to Ne Me Demande Pas, for example (1). As if she's giving in to the fact that she a deadringer for Polly Jean Harvey. But she can be very tender as well, listen to La Bimbo (2)(it's the first track I listened to. I mean, c'mon, a title like that?).
Clarika (from Haute-Savoie) has a history of marching bands and majorettes, and made four albums under the wings of Jean-Jacques Nyssen, who writes and arranges the music. It's certainly a tradition, this Guy On The Background with filles sourires, from Gainsbourg to Lou Depryck to Philippe Katerine to Benjamin Biolay.

Hear Here 1.

Hear Here 2.

Pastel

Thanks to J., here's a wonderful cover of the Sex Pistols' punk-anthem Anarchy in the UK, translated in French and arranged as a swinging jazz-song. It's sung by Pastel Vespa who, according to her site, is the lovechild of a Brazilian street singer and an Italian heir to the Vespa motorscooter firm. Quote: "You know it's quite sad, I've never seen my father - he left my mother when he found out that she was pregnant with me. It is my wish that one day my father will take me back into his arms, into his life and into his will because I hear he's got quite a lot of money so that would be great. But one thing that reassures me is that whenever things are really bad, we always seem to have one or two empty platitudes that seem to make us feel a whole lot better." But ofcourse. And now it makes perfect sense that you record jazzy versions of hardrocking songs by Metallica, Kiss, Bon Jovi, the aforementioned Sex Pistols and Thin Lizzy.

Hear Here.

Jennifer

Currently on tour in France and Belgium (no concerts in Holland, typical): Jennifer Charles and Oren Bloedlow, a.k.a. Elysian Fields. Imagine Francoise Hardy singing a Joy Division-song, and you have an idea how Elysian Fields sound. Sexy, smokey, with dark undertones. They've just released a new album called Bum Raps and Love Taps, but the reason I'm posting two tracks here is that Jennifer sounds even sexiër when she sings in French, and lucky for me/you, she recorded a few francophone tracks. The mournful Les Amour Perdues (1), a Serge Gainsbourg-cover for John Zorn's Great Jewish Music-series, and the seductive Monsieur crandait les demoiselles (2), a track from the duet-album with Jean-Louis Murat. But this track Jennifer sings by herself. Close the curtains, light just one candle, keep an Edgar Allen Poe-book at hand, and listen to this gorgeous fille gothique.

Hear here 1.

Hear here 2.

Françoise (2)

In addition to the Leslie Feist-coverversion beneath (and thanks to Stonehead's mention of this blog here), and because it's always nice to look at her or hear her sing, here's Françoise Hardy's original version of L'amour ne dure pas toujours. It's taken from the double-cd The Vogue Years, which was recommended in this comment-thread, and it surely is a treat! 50 songs from 1962-1967, a real treasure.

Hear here.

Leslie

Leslie Feist (best known by her last name) sounds a little like Isabelle Antena, especially when she covers Francoise Hardy's L'amour ne dure pas toujours (1963), posted here (1). Canadian born Feist started out as a punkrocker (her first band opened for the Ramones), then worked with shock-electro-rocker Peaches, with pianorapper Gonzales and semi-serious rapper Mocky. Her second solo-album Let It Die was very well received (certified gold in France), thanks to clever songwriting and a variety of styles, from ye olde folk to campfire-singalongs to a really fantastic cover of The Beegees' Inside and Out. If you're into electronic music, check out the brilliant remixes of this song by Ewan Pearson. Also very good is het duet with French singer Albin de la Simone, Elle Aime, posted here (2) as well.

Hear here 1.

Hear here 2.

Isabelle

I first heard Antena by the lovely Isabelle Antena on this compilation by Thievery Corporation. Immediately I fell for the sunny smile in her voice, rainclouds disappear when the Belgian singer parts her lips. I started digging for old records, found a few (we're talking late nineties), but none with Antena on it. I mentioned the song and the singer to bossahouse-meister Dirk of Buscemi, which triggered (at least, I think it did) his search for Isabelle. He found her in the south of France, they recorded some songs - two of them appeared on his Camino Real album. Earlier on, the very nice Antena-compilation L'Alphabet du Plaisir came out - that had the song Antena on it. Isabelle Powaga (her real name) was part of the post-punk outfit Antena in the late eighties (see Pitchfork review of the reissue), but moved more towards jazz and bossa. Last year, Easy Does It was released, accompanied by great remixes. Isabelle has a blog too.

Hear here.

Isabelle's La Pecheresse a la Ligne, remixed by Buscemi:

Hear here.

Charlotte

Confession: I have never seen a film with the lovely Charlotte Gainsbourg. Not even Cement Garden. 21 Grams? Nope. No special reason, but I sure have to catch up - currently Lemming is playing in Dutch arthouses. In 1996 she appeared in Love Etc, a film about a girl (played by Charlotte) who puts an ad in the paper, finds a man, marries, and then falls in love with his best friend. Online-reviews are mixed (here, and here), but one reason to rent it, is that the title-song of the soundtrack is sung by Charlotte (and posted here). As you all know (or should know), Charlotte debuted on vinyl aged 13, when she duetted with her dad on Lemon Incest. She made a few records (a duet with Etienne Daho, for instance), but her acting career is way more succesful.
Which movie with Charlotte is a must-see?


Hear here.