Bonjour
Welcome to French Sounds, an exploration in French music.
I'm Damien from Alliance Française, the French language and cultural centre.
I will be introducing you to some of the best and brightest artists in contemporary French music.
Today, we are going to rock starting with the French Neo-Metal group EMPYR which formed in 2007 and released their first album on July 2008. The band originally started as a side-project for the five musicians who were all prominent in other groups. However, they found that they enjoyed working together so much that they took a house on the Brittany coast and started creating the EMPYR sound. An important part of their artistic approach is to return to the basics of rock and moving away from the fashion of the moment. Have a look at their video "New Day" from that album "Peaceful Riot".
Next we have a French dance/rock duo: the Peneloppes, which are based in Paris. The guys play together and seperately in both the rock and the electronic scenes. They had released several singles and remixes before recording their first album, "The Arrogance of Simplicity", in 2006 - which won Best Discovery 2007 band Qwartz Electronic Music Award. They have gone on to play in concerts and major festivals throughout the world, although we are yet to see them in Australia. Hopefully soon. Lets look at "In a Storm".
Next we go to Lyon, the home of Babylon Circus! This ten piece group formed in 1995 originally as a ska group but quickly transcended the genre, mixing punk, reggae, rock, swing and jazz influences. They sing in both French and English, sometimes mixing the two. Since forming, they have released 5 albums, the most recent being ‘La Belle Étoile’ this year, and have played over 600 shows in Europe alone. They recently toured Australia and headlined the 2008 Woodford Folk Festival. We will now watch "J'aurais bien voulu" from their album "Dances of Resistance", released in 2004.
HushPuppies is a French rock band influenced by various bands of the sixties. The group is based in Paris, although they originate from Perpignan and Bordeaux. By selling more than 20 000 copies of their debut album ("The Trap", 2005), HushPuppies topped the French independant charts in 2006. Through its critical acclaim and wide radio play, this album has attracted fans throughout the world. The band's second album, "Silence" is Golden, was released in November 2008. The same year their song You're Gonna Say Yeah! was featured on the soundtrack of the video game Guitar Hero World Tour. I have choosen for your the video clip "DOWN DOWN DOWN" from the second album.
Did this rock enough for you? Next time we'll rap and dance on electro hip hop tunes: promise! Do not miss it.
