Petite filles

Guestpost! Leonoor send me four very beautiful songs.

Many years ago, it must have been around 1986, I bought this wonderful cd Il Les Fait Chanter. Gainsbourg, the man who proved (practically) every french girl could sing, wrote Pull Marine for Isabelle Adjani. Wonderful song, both melody and lyrics are beautiful: 'Avant de toucher le fond, je descends a reculons, sans trop savoir c' qui se passait dans le fond.'
Another track from the same cd is Quoi by Jane Birkin (see video). Also sad, but bitter sweet.

Isabelle Adjani - Pull Marine (CLIP)
Jane Birkin - Quoi

'Une Petite Fille Chante Brassens' is an album with the beautiful songs by Georges Brassens, sung by a very young girl. Very touching and innocent. Who is this girl? I never got to know her name. Surfing the internet didn't bring me any closer to unveiling the mystery. Is she one of the grown up filles sourires we know now? Or was it really this momentarily career. If anyone knows...?
Amazon.fr says the cd is no longer available but I downloaded it from fnac.com.

Une Petite Fille Chante Brassens - Le Père Noel et la petite fille
Une Petite Fille Chante Brassens - Les Sabots d'Helene

Gael

You can tell someone has his mobile still on, when you hear that bipbip-sound on tv, or when you listen to your Ipod or cd-walkman. Makes me think of Autechre, or Aphex Twin, that sound. I don't know if they used it on a track, but Gael Mussati did. It works like a ringing telephone or doorbell in a song, you immediatly go checking. Funny. Gael debuted last year with an album that is very French (lots of accordion, references to all the great chansonniers), with a nice atmosphere. Not all songs are noteworthy, but these two are.

Gael Mussati - Le Parasite Pas Rasé
Gael Mussati - A Qui

Pop goes my love

Want to hear Blondie in French? Abba all Gauloise? Girls Aloud wiz an accent? Kylie as a Parisian? Go HERE.

Girls Aloud - Can't Speak French (french version). The original version can be seen above.

Erica Buettner

If I told you Erica Buettner was a songstress from the sixties, who made a beautiful album for a small label that nobody bought, but luckily was re-discovered again just recently, you'd believe me. Erica sounds a bit like Nico, and a lot like Joan Baez. But this American girl lives in Paris now, is in her twenties and makes music with a French keyboardplayer (a certain monsieur Fageolle) and a Greek accordionist. Until recently, her very emotional songs (tears well as soon as she opens her mouth) were all in English. But thanks to Pierre, she recorded a cover of a Marie Laforet song from 1976. The original is awesome, Erica added a handful of melancholy. With Marie, there's a chance Julien will fall for her in the end. With Erica, the longing never stops (think Remains of the Day).

Marie Laforet - C'est Julien
Erica Buettner - C'est Julien

Thanks to everyone who danced in the backroom (yes, that's where I was) of Petrol on Saturday to my French tunes and those by Dirk Ungawa! I got an invite for the next Soirée Gainsbourg, see you then?!

Audrey Maelis

I know that the record biz is struggling, that people won't buy cd's no more (if you want to read a funny story about how major labels did it to themselves, I suggest Dan Kennedy's book Rock On), but gawd, how can a talentspotter leave Audrey Maelis (real name Audrey Ismael) unsigned? Her song Baby Doll is sooo sexy, it tickles your ears the way a skimpy babydoll tickles a woman's skin. Or something. Audrey prefers us in the nude, by the way. She into the Sellaband thing too.
By the way, Baby Doll was recorded earlier by Iva Fruhlingova.

Audrey Maelis - Baby Doll
Audrey Maelis - La Paresse

Etyl

Great song (I always thought complaining was only a Dutch trait), fabulous voice. Merci Freddy for the tip, merci SOM for the mp3. Speaking of SOM, he has a nice remix of a Keren Ann song by Etienne de Crécy. More on Etyl here.

Etyl - Je m'fais mal

And the winners are... (2)

In addition to this post, Dailymotion has a whole bunch of performances from the Victoires-show (sound and images aren't always in sync, alas). Including Vanessa Paradis (above, who paid tribute to Henri Salvador),Emily Loizeau (simply beautiful), and Keren Ann (what's with the new hairdo??).