Frères Sourires (4): Hugo

"The title of his album translates as 'The Night Of The Seesaws'. It is inhabited by the naive and the bizarre, the childlike and the macabre...these antagonistic elements coexist side by side, like animals in some old fable (or like piano keys in some old tune). Each song is like a miniature short story. This young man nourishes a deep affection for mystery: he must have read too many books by Conan Doyle when he was a teenager...(or was it Steven Millhauser, Borges and Patrick Mc Grath?)." Pleased to meet you, Hugo Chastanet. The description above is about his second album La Nuit des Balançoires (2005). Hugo is a funny little guy, the biography tells the tale of him being awol for several years. The record company even hired a private eye to trace him. True? Who knows, but it sure sounds intriguing and, after you hear the record, not that strange at all. Hugo excells in telling odd, sometimes even cruel stories, set to jolly, Beach Boys-like pop.
I've posted a track by Hugo before, which prompted April March to send me an email inquiring about the singer. I pointed her to Crammed, and never heard from her again. Or Hugo, for that matter. Sounds like a song to me.

Hugo - Pas de Chance Pour Les Wilson
Hugo & Austine - Fouille-toi