Best of Myspace
Hi France. Yes, I’m looking at you. This could very well be called Best of French Myspace for this week.
1. Paloma
Paloma is so effecting that you listen to the folk songs on their myspace page and realize that their 2006 release In My Time of Sorrrow seems very aptly named. It’s somber folk but also music you can’t help but feeling drawn to. These could be the soundtracks for slow Sundays when you might just sit by the window thinking about so many things in your life and watching the rain fall. Sung in English even though based in Paris…perhaps, my favorite of their posted tracks is “No Depression.” where the vocals are just heavenly as the lyrics insist “I’m going where there’s no depression…my home is in heaven. I am going there.” Thanks to David from Toy Fight for telling me about them.
Oh my gosh. I received a friend request from Dimitri Artemenko without realizing who he was and almost had to gasp for fresh air. He’s a GYPSY in FRANCE! Classically trained and originally born in Estonia, he plays violin like it’s his only shot at saving the Earth. It’s rich and intense and “Early on Sunday” could very well make one fall down weeping with the heavenly female chorus. You know when he writes music has sort of a religious value to him that he really means it. Other songs he has posted, for example, “Yvan Forever” make for very strange dance music that seems overwhelming in terms of the complexity of composition. There is nothing like this on Earth. My only regret is the serious lack of his own vocals, though playing such fervent violin and singing at the same time might be impossible for any human.
Pierre Lapointe is actually from Quebec. He has a really beautiful tenor voice that just swoons when he sings in French. It’s almost like the vocals themselves are dancing. I hadn’t really known of him until Thierry told me about him but yet I felt like I recognized all of his songs. I don’t know how that’s possible but they seem so familiar to me already. This fan created myspace page has songs up to listen to you could easily fall in love with.
4. Flowers from the Man Who Shot Your Cousin
This music sounds exactly what you’d expect from the name and I LOVE it! Apparently, the band is split between Paris and Vancouver, which sounds perfect to me although it seems like Morgan Caris is really the main force behind it. The violin and cello are especially nice on these folk songs, which remind me a bit of David Pajo who is present amongst their very long list of exceptional influences. I really love the way Caris sings even though the lyrics are in English.
Flowers from the Man Who Shot Your Cousin on myspace
5. Cocoon
Orouni told me about this band earlier this week and at that time, they had their location as Illinois, France which was of course rather confusing to me. They’ve since changed it to Panda Mountain, which I think is better. I don’t know if there is a Panda Mountain in France but just envisioning it is enough to make me crave some fresh bamboo. And, it’s been awhile since my Pandacam addiction but I could easily slip back into no man’s land where the most exciting thing is watching a panda bear play with a wierd looking toy.
Yes, yes back to the music. I think what I really like is the way the Mark and Morgane’s vocals interact with eachother, sometimes in a tweeish banjo way as in “Chupee” and at other times with a intricate harmonizing insistence as in on “Tell Me,” where the violin really fills in an emotional note. It’s sad these lyrics are in English to me but I still am really enjoying listening to their beautiful songs.