French pop-rock

Scandal, controversy & girls on top

Paris 

25/12/2008 - 

Male/female equality flew out the window on the French pop-and-rock scene in 2008 with rock chicks and female pop singers putting their male counterparts to shame. Meanwhile, exciting new bands like The Do and Cocoon emerged on the scene, outshining more established names. Anaïs and Mademoiselle K both passed the tricky follow-up album test while France's bearded electro-pop wonder Sébastien Tellier caused controversy at Eurovision. 2008 was certainly a year to remember!

Splitting opinion: Veteran French rockers Noir Désir carried off the 2008 award for Most Controversial Band of the Year. Many people felt that Noir Désir's career should have come to an end four year ago when lead singer Bertrand Cantat was jailed for manslaughter after beating his girlfriend, the well-known French actress Marie Trintignant, to death. However, Noir Désir supporters considered that once Cantat walked free from jail last year (he was released ahead of schedule for good behaviour) he had every right to take to the stage again and resume his life in the spotlight.

Noir Désir, the figureheads of the French rock scene for over 20 years, successfully revived their career on the internet in 2008. On 12 November, two tracks were given away free on the band's website - a cover of Le temps des cerises and a new composition Gagnants -Perdants which turned out to be in the same hardhitting rock vein as the album Des visages Des figures. According to a press release issued around the same time, the recording of these two songs was a "reaction to the current political climate." The press release hinted at the possibility of a future Noir Désir album, too, ending with the statement: "Noir Désir are back at work!"

Farewells and comebacks: 2007 ended on a mournful note with the death of Fred Chichin, the guitar-playing half of Les Rita Mitsouko. Fred's partner, Catherine Ringer, battled bravely on, however, finishing up the duo's Variety tour on her own. The live album Catherine Ringer chante les Rita Mitsouko And More à la Cigale put a final nail in Les Rita's coffin. Fans will be pleased to learn that Ms. Ringer has no plans to throw in the towel on the solo front, though. The feisty 'chanteuse' admits that she has started working on new material with producer Mark Plati, although right now she has no idea what form her post-Rita Mitsouko career might take.

On 25 May 2005, the French musician Mickaël Chamberlain was involved in a fatal car crash and his death marked the end of the band Dolly. Three years on, the group's female guitarist and singer Manu has risen like a Phoenix from the flames, releasing her own album Rendez-vous. The album is a treasure trove of catchy pop-rock tunes with more than a hint of pop star 'du jour' Mika.

Bands with a buzz: The music grapevine began buzzing like crazy in the latter half of 2007 and by the start of 2008 The Do's debut album, A Mouthful, was riding high in the charts. Released in January 2008, A Mouthful spawned a host of upbeat, danceable pop songs such as Over My Shoulder and At Last which dominated the airwaves throughout the year. The Paris-Helsinki pairing of Dan and Olivia are now set to take their French pop sound overseas, heading off Down Under for a tour of Australia in March 2009.

Meanwhile, another significant male-female duo emerged on the scene thanks to the 'new talent' selection compiled by trendy French music magazine Les Inrockuptibles. Cocoon - aka Mark Daumail and Morgane Imbeaud - broke onto the French airwaves with their instantly infectious single Chupee. The folk-pop double act from Clermont-Ferrand now look set for bigger and better things in 2009, having already worked with everyone from Jean-Louis Murat to hot young pop newcomer Julien Doré.

Pascale Picard, a young singer from Quebec, has also sent a breath of fresh air gusting through the music scene. After scoring a huge hit back home with her debut album, Me, Myself and Us, the up-and-coming star is already making waves in France with her hit single Gate 22. While in the studio Ms. Picard goes in for gentle rock'n'folk sounds, we urge you to see her live on stage where she really lets her hair down. Look out for her mega-French tour next spring!

Passing 'the second album' test: Three female French artists faced the tricky follow-up album test this year - and all three passed with flying colours! Mademoiselle K was the first out of the starting-blocks with Jamais la paix, an album which towers head and shoulders above the usual French rock releases. Revolving around raunchy guitar riffs, dark, moody melodies and suitably hard-hitting lyrics, Jamais la paix is set to go down a storm live on stage. Meanwhile, four years after her explosive debut, Codification, Laetitia Sheriff - aka France's answer to PJ Harvey - delved further into a dark, brooding guitar vein on Games Over. Sharp-witted singer-songwriter Anaïs, a woman known for her highly theatrical stage shows, branched out in a new and rather unexpected direction on her second album. The Love Album, released in November this year, features polished production work from Dan The Automator (renowned for his work with Gorillaz) and it has already caused a big buzz on the internet. No doubt, the retro-kitsch 'soft porn' inspired cover has something to do with that! 

It's not size that matters: The independent Parisian label 3rd side may not have a budget to rival the majors, but it has an infallible knack for spotting the Next Big Thing. It was 3rd side who were the first to pick up on Syd Matters and, in 2008, the label fulfilled on its early promise, bringing us excellent albums from Cocosuma and Domingo. But the winning horse in 3rd side's pop stable right now is Tahiti Boy & the Palmtree Family whose brilliant debut album Good Children Go to Heaven is crammed full of potential hits.

Revamps and new looks: Time for a change! Dick Rivers, the sixties star long mocked for his Elvis-style posturing and his caricature quiff, took everyone by surprise this year with an audacious attempt to reposition himself on the market. Mr Rivers recruited the services of sought-after young songwriter and musician Joseph d’Anvers in the making of L’homme sans âge. The album is obviously intended to give Rivers some gravitas in the latter part of his career, but it is regrettable that L’homme sans âge sounds so dark and arid.

Peace and goodwill to all men: Bernie Bonvoisin, the veteran and highly voluble frontman of French heavy metal outfit Trust, managed to bury the hatchet after a decade-long feud with guitarist Nono Krief this year. And Trust brought out a new album entitled 13 à table. Powered along by blues-rock riffs and the band's usual virulent protest lyrics, the album integrated unexpected hip-hop scratches from DJ Deck.

Life after Forty: In June 2008, Les Thugs proved that there was life in the old French rock devils yet. The notorious foursome from Angers got back together again to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their American label, Sub Pop. After years of inactivity, the '90s pioneers of underground rock put on a series of explosive gigs in France before heading off for a grand finale in Seattle. The downside is that nothing has been heard from them since!

The final curtain: Veteran Breton outfit Matmatah bowed out on stage in Brussels on 24 August 2008, bringing an end to thirteen intensive years of touring. The band may have split, but the good news is that their label La Ouache lives on.

Storm in a Euro Tea Cup: French national identity was plunged into crisis this spring when a bearded electro-pop star in oversize sunglasses was chosen to represent France at Eurovision. Sébastien Tellier himself was not the problem, it seemed. It was his controversial insistence on singing (most of) his Eurovision entry, Divine, in English. One French MP was so outraged he raised the matter in parliament and the French Culture Minister herself had to intervene. Tellier ended up with little more than 'nul points' for his entry and France hovered somewhere around the bottom of the Eurovision league table as usual. But at least we had a good laugh this year!

Ludovic  Basque

Translation : Julie  Street