donderdag 29 mei 2008

Cecile à Dit Cecile Phi


Got an email. Went a little something like this:
When Cecile celebrated her 40th birthday, she noticed that everybody went to the gym to get in shape. She was fond of the US tv-series Nip/Tuck and had the idea to make a song about the ways to stay forever young. Of course, it's very ironical. Cecile is laughing at everyone who desperately tries to keep his youth. But this song was a good means to forget that time goes by, too. (More)

Cecile Phi - Botoxez-moi

woensdag 28 mei 2008

Celine Mastrorelli


Merci à Ron for sending me an mp3 of the coverversion Celine Mastrorelli made for him of the Kinks' I Go to Sleep. Yes, it's a Kinks-song, although that was only released in it's demo-version. The Pretenders made the song famous, lots of coverversions followed - recently by Sia, for instance. Celine recorded it in one take, plus a few vocal overdubs. Although not in French, Celine's a new fille on the block that needs to be promoted as much as possible. Don't you agree?
UPDATE:
Anonymous commenters mentioned French versions of I Go to Sleep, by Virginie. I found a French version by Julie Pietri. If you have/know more, please email me guuzbourg(a)gmail.com Thanks to Franss, for the Virginie version.

Celine Mastrorelli - I go to sleep
Kinks - I go to sleep
Julie Pietri - Et c'est comme si
Virginie - Tu Crois Toujours

dinsdag 27 mei 2008

Contest winners (2): Mylene, Damon & Françoise

Together with Bill, Anna Maria from Sweden and DJ Trouble from New Jersey send in a guestpost as well. They did not win the Berry album (and did not want the new Camille-album), but instead they're getting a Filles Fragiles-copy.
DJ Trouble (Lynn) wrote:

I wasn't a Blur fan, so i didn't first listen to this collaboration reeling from the modern Brit rock/French chanteuse royalty alliance. But the sweeping, achey melodica and strings sat me down and taught me a thing or two about how a love song pulls you apart bit by bit and then leaves you begging for more. I could listen to Francoise Hardy's voice every day of the week, but the combination of her smokey sound and Damon Albarn's plaintive declaration is the little bit that seperates this song from every French song I love and puts it in the can't-live-without-it category. A little bit Etienne Daho, a little bit Malcolm McLaren in his Satie drenched phase, and a whole lot of moody, synthy Jacno. Of course I didn't feel any of this when I first heard it, I just sat very still and took in shallow breaths, trying not to disturb the sound of perfection at work.

Blur & Françoise Hardy - To the End (La Comedie)
(clip, without Hardy)

Anna Maria wrote:

Mylène’s breakthrough hit in Europe had a bizarre video with the singer as a dummy and the chorus: 'Sans contrefacon, je suis un garcon'. No, she’s not but this is a fascinating song, propelled by the singer’s airy voice and an inhumanly catchy melody. It was my introduction to Myléne’s bizarre world and I’ve enjoyed my stay so far. She sings of revolutions, bisexuality and sets Baudelaire poems to music. She appeared naked in her first video thus ensuring she got the attention she required. She continues to make her sophisticated, multifaceted music to this day and a new album is hopefully due soon.

Mylene Farmer - Sans Contrefaçon

maandag 26 mei 2008

Contest winner: Vanessa Paradis

(this is a restored post. Fuck DMCA takedowns!)

I had a giveaway-copy of the Berry album, and Bill from Maryland won with this guestpost on Vanessa Paradis:

My favorite French record is Le tourbillon de la vie. Although performed wonderfully by Jeanne Moreau in 'Jules et Jim', I never tire of listening to Vanessa Paradis' version. She sings with such emotion and I especially love the simple yet poignant piano accompaniment. What a wonderful song: the stuff great novels are made up - young love for an exotic girl; the lament for lost love and the joy of finding each other again and again. I may be a sentimental old fool, but who can not have a tear in the eye imagining an old couple walking off into the sunset hand in hand at the end. 'Tous les deux enlacés, tous les deux enlacés' Life is indeed a whirlwind.

Vanessa Paradis - Le Tourbillon
See Vanessa and Jeanne perform the song HERE

vrijdag 23 mei 2008

Isabelle Boulay


Green-eyed redhead Isabelle Boulay falls in the same category as Lara Fabian and Natasha St.Pier - shifting way too much in the Celine Dion direction (see exhibit A). That's why I almost never posted about said women. That is, unless a certain mr. Biolay comes into play. Benjamin wrote for Boulay before, for her most recent album he contributed (and played almost every instrument, as I understand it) the grand Ne Me Dis Pas Qu'il Faut Sourire - a title that's perfect for this blog, ofcourse. On Nos Lendemains, Isa also sings songs by Maxime Le Forestier, J-L Murat and Ron Sexsmith. Her cover version of the wonderful L'Appuntamento by Ornella Vanoni (clip) is a big mistake.

Isabelle Boulay - Ne Me Dis Pas Qu'il Faut Sourire

woensdag 21 mei 2008

Barbara Carlotti interviewed by Guuzbourg



Barbara Carlotti - Changement de Saison

Loane


I sang the praise of Loane before, now the hot-lipped singer released her first album, Jamais Seule. And it lives up to the expectations. If the Berry album was a tad too fragile for you, if you liked the recent Brisa Roché album but missed the French songs, if you're into Emily Loizeau and liked the Claudine Muno-mp3s, then Loane is your girl. The album has tender ballads and country-ish, catchy uptempo popsongs. Helping hands were lend by Fabrice Dumont (Télépopmusik) and Frédéric Fortuny (Brisa Roché, Autour de Lucie). Like frequent visiteur Maks once said: it looks like a good year for the filles.

Loane - Ce Que J'ai Connu
Loane - Jamais Seule
(clip)

maandag 19 mei 2008

Giveaway, Camille live

Like I said before, I have one copy of the Berry album to give away. Now I add a copy of the new Camille album. Want one? Just write a guestpost (100-200 wrds) on your favourite French song, sung by a girl. Old, new, known, unknown, don't matter. Mail to Guuzbourg@gmail.com. State which album you want.

A propos Camille, I attended her concert at the Royal Circus in Bruxelles last Friday. If you're a Camille-fan but think Music Hole is a so-so album, go see her live. It all falls into place. You will see no instruments on stage, bar a piano. You will groove to the phat phunky beatbox-grooves of Ezra and Saïan Supa Crew's Sly. You'll laugh at the four backgroundsingers, how they (tap)dance, swing, sway and make unearthly sounds. You'll be amazed at the concentration level of all singers - it looks so loosely knit, but they need to be very focussed for else it ends up a mess. And you will fall deeply in love with the orange-clad Camille. Her larynx is the organic equivalent of a guitar player's array of effect pedals. She removes her bra when challenged. She makes the public bark like a dog, or meow like a cat. When she says she's hungry because she only eats organic food, someone throws her a banana. She eats it (after making a beat on how long it will take), then tries to make one of her singers slip on the bananaskin.
All songs of Music Hole were played, you'll notice what a versatile, at times bone-chillingly beautiful album it is. She also plays Ta Douleur, Au Port and Pale Septembre, and if you're in a venue like the Royal Circus, you will notice how hard the public sings along. Camille is a star, that's for sure.
Two other great moments: the great Dead Kennedys cover (Camille sang Too Drunk to Fuck as part of Nouvelle Vague, as you know), and the third (!) encore: Paris. A song from her debut-album, sung with the whole ensemble on the front of the stage with no (!!) microphones.

Bobbejaan & Geike



Bobbejaan Schoepen is the Roy Rogers of the Lowlands. He has his own themepark, recorded a shitload of albums. made movies and at 83 he beat cancer and aneurysms in the brain. What a guy. This song is from his new album, that also features a duet with Axelle Red. Geike Arnaert's dayjob is singing with Hooverphonic.

Bobbejaan Schoepen & Geike Arnaert - Le Temps des Cerises
Bobbejaan Schoepen & Axelle Red - Je me suis souvent demandé

UPDATE
The son and manager of Bobbejaan asked me kindly to remove the mp3s.

donderdag 15 mei 2008

Amoureux Solitaires (2)


As promised here, I got a few (ten) Amoureux Solitaires coverversions to share. Not including the version by Kaptiv, that I posted before. Thanks to Franss, who found the most reprises, I bring you mostly electronic versions, a few with hard rocking guitars and one with a fille fragile. You'll never love alone again!

Ludwig von 88 - Amoureux Solitaires
Les Breastfeeders - Amoureux Solitaires
Celluloide - Amoureux Solitaires
John Lenine Band - Amoureux Solitaires
MacDonald Duck Eclair - Amoureux Solitaires
La Prohibida - Amoureux Solitaires
Vacaciones - Amoureux Solitaires
The Electronic Tomato - Amoureux Solitaires
The Electronic Tomato - Amoureux Solitaires (remix)
Jenny Goes Dirty - Amoureux Solitaires

woensdag 14 mei 2008

Leine vs Biolay


Finally, a real Dutch fille fragile. Leine (real name Marjoleine), a singer-songwriter who's heard comparisons like 'Ane Brun meets Feist meets Corinne Bailey Rae meets Emiliana Torrini meets Joni Mitchell meets Fay Lovsky meets Mathilde Santing'. She mostly sings in English, but on her debut-ep (from 2006, and I just heard about it, dammit!) she does a wonderful bossa-fied reprise of one of my favourite Biolay-songs, La Pénombre des Pays-Bas. She cut out a big chuck of the lyrics, but kept the sweet longing that's in the song.
Leine got to know Biolay via a friend, who pressed her to listen to the French prince of dark thoughts. At the time, she was working on a song that she felt needed French lyrics. When she heard Pénombre, all fell into place. She's not a big fan of BB, nowadays she's more into Camille. Wonder if Leine can bark like a dog the way Camille can. Or is she more like a pussycat?

Leine - La Pénombre des Pays-Bas
Benjamin Biolay - La Pénombre des Pays-Bas
By the way: Ben has a new single out, a remixed version of Rendez-vous Qui Sait. See video here.
Benjamin Biolay - Rendez-vous Qui Sait

dinsdag 13 mei 2008

Amoureux Solitaires


Last year, we had Julien Doré covering Alizée's Moi...Lolita. 2008 brings us Arman Melies re-doing Lio's eighties-bubblegum classic Amoureux Solitaires. He gave the very danceable tune a gloomy, Depeche Mode-ish disguise. Love it! I've posted other versions before, including the original by Stinky Toys. But there are more. I will get to them later (contributions are welcomed), but first here's the original, and Arman's reprise.

Lio - Amoureux Solitaires (video)
Arman Melies - Amoureux Solitaires


In other news: I have one give-away copy of Berry's Mademoiselle-album. You want it? You know what to do: write a guestpost on your favourite French song (sung by a girl), email it to guuzbourg(a)gmail.com and the nicest contribution gets the freebee.

vrijdag 9 mei 2008

Nôze


Before we leave for a long weekend in the country, I leave you with a fabulous dancetune by hipster Parisian dance-twosome Nôze, featuring sexy vocal help by none other than Dani Siciliano - hope this tune will give her the idea to make a full album in French.

Nôze + Dani Siciliano - Danse Avec Moi

Sunchild



The weather outside is scorchio. So be like Anne Marie David, be a child of the sun!
Anne Marie David - Je suis l'enfant soleil

woensdag 7 mei 2008

Louka, Ariane, Marie-France


A menage-a-trois with a 62-year old gay icon, a Canadian electropopgirl and a fragile fille from France who calls her music 'chanson love-pop'. Howzat?

The gay icon is ofcourse Marie-France, a former Marilyn Monroe-impersonator, an actress, a model and ofcouse a singer. Phantom is a Belgian character Benjamim Schoos, who also calls himself Miam Monster Miam. A pseudonym that makes Gainsbourg-fans sit up straight ofcourse, and if you listen to the first hard-rocking notes of Les Nanas, you'll hear the reference immediatly. Producer Kramer mixed the album, and we know him for his scandalous remake of Lemon Incest 69 Annee Erotique with his daughter for John Zorn's SG-tribute. Fragile tis not. Rock on!
Marie-France feat. Phantom - Les Nanas


The Canadian girl is Ariane Moffatt. Thanks to N., I got the actual Tous les Sens album, that has a link to an extra song. That feature some loud guitars too.
Ariane Moffatt - Petit Animal


Louka's real name is Vanessa Chassaigne (pictured), a singer who contacted me via Myspace and who was so kind to share her very tender, raindrops-keep-falling-on-my-head-song Dans Ma Tête. Which is nice. Go to her Myspace to see an amazing video of Louka doing an acapella song.
Louka - Dans Ma Tête

maandag 5 mei 2008

Gainsbourg biopic

Joann Sfar, a well-known comic artist in France, is making a Gainsbourg biopic. The title role will be played by Eric Elmosnino. But when Eric/Serge is behind the piano, the actual playing is done by Gonzales. Shooting starts in September, couldn't find a releasedate, but my guess is around the Cannes festival in 2009. Below is picture of Elmosnino as Serge. More here and here.

vrijdag 2 mei 2008

April March & Steve Hanft


If you listen to the songs sung by Steve Hanft on the album he made with the lovely April March, you almost immediatly think of Beck. No wonder, Hanft used to be in a band with Mr Hansen, plus Steve made a bunch of videos for the eclectic wonder. His team up with April isn't that odd either - Hanft shot the video for her Caribou (click), and together they made a funny vid for Attention Cherie (clique). Both were student at Cal Arts too. I like the songs by April best (no surprise there, I guess), she sings in both French and English. Best song is the sunny Attention Cherie - which might be the California influence of Hanft.

April March & Steve Hanft - Attention Cherie
April March & Steve Hanft - Flashback Part II
April March - Caribou

donderdag 1 mei 2008

Serge


Apparently, there's a restaurant in Sao Paulo, Brazil, called Le Petit Trou. And if we think of little holes, we think of Serge ('cause he sang about the p'tits trous in Le Poinconneur des Lilas). Les Serges du Bresil is a SG-coverband, who just played Le Petit Trou. They use samples of original Gainsbourg-songs, but one Christophe Hidalgo is singing. I like what they did to Requiem pour un con (dubbed it out a little), and their version of Je t'aime is a nice addition to my ever growing list of reprises. You can download all their covers at their Myspace.
Talking 'bout SG, grand mix wizard Minimatic has updated his fanf*ckingtastic remix of Chez les Yeyes a little. And yes, it will be released on vinyl! Youpiiii!

Les Serges du Bresil - Je t'aime...moi non plus
Les Serges du Bresil - Requiem pour un con


And also quit nice: this mash-up of Kanye West, plus Serge & BB. [via]
(Ofcourse, this is, was, and always will be the bestest hiphopsong featuring SG's Bonnie & Clyde EVER)