donderdag 25 januari 2007

Frères Sourires (21): Bertrand Betsch



Bertrand Betsch a l’élégance de déprimer joyeusement, somebody wrote about strawberry-blonde Betsch, who debuted in 1997 with La Soupe à la Grimace. It was released on the Lithium-label, at the time the home of Dominique A., Francoiz Breut and Jerome Minière, the heroes of the nouvelle chanson. Betsch, with his delicate, high voice, put intimate confessions in his songs, but could also be very cruel and cold. In this interview, he is asked if he feels any kinship with author Bret Easton Ellis, also someone who can be very intimate and very cruel. It's like somebody hit a sore spot: Betsch detests Ellis. Shame, 'cause there are comparisons. The year after the release of his debut, Bertrand lost his voice, for the next 12 months he had to recover. He then returned with B.B. Sides, a very personal album with some covers (songs by Phil Spector, Dominique A and Leonard Cohen) and nine self-penned songs. I haven't heard that one, but my online friend Roar tells me it's "probably the worst disappointment I've had as a music collector". So there. You can listen to Nu from that album on BB's Myspace-site. Pas de Bras, Pas de Chocolat (2004) is way better, Betsch has a go at different musical styles like jazz and reggae, and writes a lot of infectious songs. In February, his new album comes out. First single and titletrack La Chaleur Humaine has some irie vibes as well.

Bertrand Betsch - La Chaleur Humaine
Bertrand Betsch - Des Gens Attendant (from Pas de Bras Pas de Chocolat)
Bertrand Betsch - Un Mauvais Vivant (from Soupe à la Grimace)

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