About this time last year we were treated to the first So Frenchy So Chic. Well, the “unofficial soundtrack to The French Film Festival” is back, this time as a double disc to again tempt you with all things Francais. Perhaps not quite as diverse sounding a collection as its predecessor SFSC still covers a huge range of styles that include jazz, lounge, hip hop, world, chanson and lullaby.
Françoiz Breut starts off Disc One with La Certitude that expertly melds rock, indie and chamber pop into an attractively spooky package. Beaucoup Plus Que Moi by Cvantez speaks an Astrud Gilberto kind of language and there’s Camille’s Ta Douleur that mixes soft 60’s pop and electronics. Jerome Attai’s track is all it needs to be with little more than piano and spoken word, Albin De La Simone and Têtes Raides are both jolly in a not too annoying way, although the same can’t be said for Les Voisines by Renan Luce. Good taste suggests I ignore Spleen’s Bitches on the Ground, although it is quite nice sounding and Les Hommes Peuvent Etre by Autour De Lucie is beautiful in a way that’s difficult to put into words.
Disc Two starts off with some jazz in the form of Sanseverino, there’s also Coralie Clement who sounds uncannily like Japan’s Kahimi Karie and Keren Ann (also on SFSC1) returns with the stunning Que N’ai-Je? on loan from her lovely album Nolita. Rubin Steiner’s Que Bonita Es la Vida is (er, Spanish? but) quietly addictive, however less successful are Saïan Supa Crew’s rap La Patte, and the cabaret stylings of Babylon Circus which could easily send me running from the room. Hugo’s Fouille Toi uncomfortably manages to be both incredibly MOR and somehow quite interesting and the collection draws to a close with the Bjork-level madness of Ice Girl by Emilie Simon which is either audacious genius or sheer lunacy.
This is another good, and rarely less than interesting, collection but I can’t help thinking a single disc trimmed of le ballast would have been even better. For a visual treat make sure you catch the companion TV show which is replaying on SBS from this week.
Françoiz Breut starts off Disc One with La Certitude that expertly melds rock, indie and chamber pop into an attractively spooky package. Beaucoup Plus Que Moi by Cvantez speaks an Astrud Gilberto kind of language and there’s Camille’s Ta Douleur that mixes soft 60’s pop and electronics. Jerome Attai’s track is all it needs to be with little more than piano and spoken word, Albin De La Simone and Têtes Raides are both jolly in a not too annoying way, although the same can’t be said for Les Voisines by Renan Luce. Good taste suggests I ignore Spleen’s Bitches on the Ground, although it is quite nice sounding and Les Hommes Peuvent Etre by Autour De Lucie is beautiful in a way that’s difficult to put into words.
Disc Two starts off with some jazz in the form of Sanseverino, there’s also Coralie Clement who sounds uncannily like Japan’s Kahimi Karie and Keren Ann (also on SFSC1) returns with the stunning Que N’ai-Je? on loan from her lovely album Nolita. Rubin Steiner’s Que Bonita Es la Vida is (er, Spanish? but) quietly addictive, however less successful are Saïan Supa Crew’s rap La Patte, and the cabaret stylings of Babylon Circus which could easily send me running from the room. Hugo’s Fouille Toi uncomfortably manages to be both incredibly MOR and somehow quite interesting and the collection draws to a close with the Bjork-level madness of Ice Girl by Emilie Simon which is either audacious genius or sheer lunacy.
This is another good, and rarely less than interesting, collection but I can’t help thinking a single disc trimmed of le ballast would have been even better. For a visual treat make sure you catch the companion TV show which is replaying on SBS from this week.
Wayne Davidson
