Le Matos/CdP/Phoebe Cates

To me, Phoebe Cates (pictured) is Amanda from Bright Lights, Big City. But to North-Americans over 35, she's Christine Ramsey from Private School (or Linda from Fast Times @ Ridgemont High). For the soundtrack of Private School, Phoebe sang How do I let you know (see here), and that 80s song was covered by Le Matos and our favourite Canadian fille, Béatric Martin aka Coeur de Pirate. And what a great version that is. This track has something to do with this.

Le Matos + Coeur de Pirate - How do I let you know

Clarika

Moi en mieux is the title of Clarika's new (fifth) album, and it sounds like a best-of indeed. Claire Keszei (her real name) sings her beautiful ballads, bobs her head to hot-pink electropop and puts on her sunglasses for some mariachi-rock. One of the best songs imho is Rien de tel (qu'une petite chanson), that reminds me of great Clarika songs like Les garçons dans les vestiaires. It starts with a classical intro, then changes into a groove, adds horns and chorusses. It's very Beatles-esque, and has various singers, like the ensemble of a theatershow. Also good is single Bien Mérité, see video here.

Very nice review of Clarika's album in Les Inrocks.

Clarika - Rien de tel (qu'une petite chanson)

Charlie

Guestpost! Maks on Charlie:

In The Netherlands there's a saying that states something like 'the longer it lasts, the sweeter the taste'. I guess and hope that'll probably the case with Charlie's forthcoming album, although the tracks at her MySpace are pretty exciting already. Some are released in december 2008 as single, like Ema (video here) and Le Sapin. Charlie also recorded a very tempting duet with Fabrice Mauss in 2007 called Je Recherche, that even made it into the charts and had over one million (!) viewings at YouTube. Her voice sometimes childish as Vanessa Paradis in her early years, sometimes more mature (think Olivia Ruiz), but always as seductive and delicate as a real certified Fille Fragile should sound like. And with a track like 'Angel', she even shows that her sound can be a bit more edgy too, as this track is a little bit more rock than the other ones. Herefor and hopefully for the rest to come Charlie already received Le Prix du Tremplin Musik'Elles in 2008.
Charlie's here to stay, but there's one quite important last detail missing right now: her debut-album. Come on, don't let us wait too long darling.
See video for Le Sapin here.

Cool live performance of 'Je Recherche' by Mauss and Charlie at Taratata here

Charlie - Ema
Charlie - Angel

RIP Alain Bashung

Alain Bashung has gone up to the great concert hall in the sky, to meet all his blues heroes, and raise a glass with his old buddy Serge Gainsbourg. Rest in peace.

Oh Canada: Stephanie Lapointe

People always ask me, Guuzbourg, connaisseur of French singing females, aficionado of the sigh, please define sexyness. Tell us what's hot, and what's not. Paint us a picture that makes your, and our, juices run. I pull up a chair, stretch out my legs, lean back and say, well, someday it's Carla Bruni, sitting in the back of a car with bare legs, playing the guitar (click). Then it's Claire Denamur, singing that she feels naked on stage (click). It's in the lips of Emmanuelle Beart (click). In that little space between Vanessa Paradis' teeth (click). But mostly, it's in the surprise. In opening a zipfile of the just-released album by Stephanie Lapointe, and hearing, well, just right click, save as...

Stephanie Lapointe - Nus sous les étoiles

And see here for a verrry sexy live reprise of Nancy Sinatra's Bang Bang (in French). Also on the album!

Claire Denamur interview

Interviewed Claire Denamur for Fileunder.nl. In Dutch, ofcourse. If you're clueless about Claire, check here. And here. And download this.

Clarika, Dominique

Trying to get a copy of the new Clarika album asap - in the meantime, here's a song from the Boby Lapointe tribute-album (2002) that I hadn't posted yet. Boby's one of the funniest lyricists in France, so I read. Think Bourvil, who also recorded his songs.
I found two new songs by Dominique A(né) also, his new album drops April 6. The very intense Ané is the godfather of the Nouvelle Scene Française, the one who saved French pop from eighties-hell, dusted it off and made it au courant again. So for that, and because of brilliant albums like Auguri and Tout sera comme avant, we follow him closely on FS.

Clarika - Comprend qui peut
Dominique A - Immortels (see video)