In an effort to stay diverse, either/or presents… another French artist. It seems that we’ve all got the hankering for some fine French music lately: I’ve no idea when it’ll stop. Anyhoo, I present for you today Coralie Clément, an artist that I really couldn’t find a lot of info for. Her latest release Bye bye beauté is an adorable foray into the world of pop, in the sense that it doesn’t sound trashy, like most pop does these days. Instead, Coralie’s charming vocals blend nicely with the cool, pop-rock stylings of her music. And she’s cute!

I can’t really say I have a point of reference to compare her with (having not listened to Keren Ann yet), but I can definitely say that her music isn’t like Camille’s, or Emilie Simon’s. Vocally, I guess you could compare her to Simon, but while Simon’s music has a harshness and an edge to it, Coralie’s tunes are more ‘natural’ (tunes like Lenfer (my favourite on this album!) and Un beau jour pour mourir: there’s no electronic stylings, unlike Simon). She doesn’t shy away from the quieter tunes either, with some very beautiful, simple tracks (such as Gloria and Beau fixe).

It seems that everytime I find a new French artist, they become my new favourite French artist, which is certainly the case this time. Sorry, Camille!

From Bye bye beauté
Bye bye beauté – (Music video, Windows Media Stream)
Lenfer – (Flash, integrated into the page)

Sorry about the lousy media peeps, it’s the best I could do! There’s always last.fm if you crave more before diving fully in.

I can’t even remember where I heard mention of Marissa Nadler anymore, which is unfortunate, because I would like to thank them. She reminds me a lot of Alasdair Roberts (just not nearly as Scottish), though that’s not a good analogy as apparently Nadler is the more well-known of the two. So now I get to sum up both: incredibly mellow folk that’s rooted in traditional folk music, with vocals being the most prominent instrument. Which means that if you don’t like the vocals, it would blow my mind if you were able to look past them enough to enjoy the songs. Marissa has the most beautiful voice I have heard this entire decade, and that is neither sarcasm nor overstatement. She really is that good, even if you feel her songs to be a tad on the sleepy side.

Also, she’s got a new album out this March, and luckily for me, it has already spread throughout the Internet. You can listen to Diamond Heart off that album on her Myspace as well.

Downloads

From The Saga Of Mayflower May
Lily, Henry, And The Willow Trees – (MP3, 3.2 MB)
Virginia – (MP3, 2.5 MB)

From Ballads Of Living And Dying
Fifty Five Falls – (MP3, 4.6 MB)
Under An Old Umbrella – (MP3, 4.8 MB)
Old Love Haunts Me In The Morning – (MP3, 3.6 MB)

Not too long ago, Craig over at songs: illinois lamented how his post about Soft Hearted Scientists wasn’t picked up by any other blogs. As I mentioned on his site, I feel like something of a hooker when I post about a band that a prominent blog has already posted about. But due to his lamentation, I will be pleased to write a smidge about this band (and other excellent ones he’s posted about previously).

OK! This is probably not the ideal band for me to start carrying the musical Olympic torch to, as I’ve only heard one of their songs that I like. But I like the song a lot, anyway. Hence why it is linked below for your aural enjoyment. It is a lovely acoustic-pop tune with the UK singing that everyone seems to love, at least when it’s good, as this one is. I will leave you with the chorus: “So what’s the point of waiting to sing our song, we’ll be pushing up daisies before too long, they’ll be carbon dating our bones some day, I’d like to think we found some joy along the strange, strange waaaaaaaay!”

Downloads

From The Family Of God
Pushing Up Daisies – (MP3, 3 MB)

It has been brought to my attention that lately, more than ever, I listen to crazy music. Even just a few months ago, crazy for me just meant some Ween or gypsy punk. Nowadays, it usually means something circus-related. That 1 Guy continues the tradition of crazy music, though more along the styles of Ween and Primus. He plays all his songs with his home-made instrument, “The Magic Pipe.” It is indeed magical, the number of things he is able to do with it, but it’s still the lyrics that stand out more for me. When is the last time you heard a song about weasel potpie (and titled as such!), or one about raining meat? And when is the last time they were actually catchy, and well-sung? And when is the last time they were on an album with such an awesome name as Songs In The Key Of Beotch? The answer is never, until now!

Downloads

From Songs In The Key Of Beotch
One – (Music video, 4.9 MB)

Evidently, if I am to listen to all the music that I have on this computer, I am bound to find some good stuff. The first of these is the lovely Nicki Jaine, playing some cabaret that is certifiably dark, made more so by her vocals which sound both charming and genuinely evil. She single-handedly inspired me to scour the “dark cabaret” tag listing at last.fm, so hopefully I will find some more good stuff in the same vein as this.

And while I’m here, am I the only one who finds it strange that while the Dresden Dolls made cabaret popular again, they’re one of the most boring cabaret groups out there?

Downloads

From Of Pigeons And Other Curiousities
Sound Of Girls – (MP3, 4.3 MB)
Pretty Faces (Live) – (MP3, 3.6 MB)

It is like either/or is the new France. Or Canada. Or something! Yet another French artist, is basically what I’m getting at.

I bought Not Going Anywhere for a dollar, but it was definitely worth a bit more. As much as I claim to only get excited if a band features prominant horns or accordions, Keren Ann’s music strikes a chord with me. Very well written songs, and I don’t need to know French to understand the basic idea behind a lot of her music.

Her earlier albums were entirely French, but her last couple have featured more English songs as well. She does well in either language, in her whispery, quiet voice.

While she does sound cheery occasionally (such as on Right Now and Right Here), a lot of her songs seem to, for lack of a better phrase, sound sad. It is the perfect music for hanging out inside watching the rain fall on your window, because while it does sometimes approach a depressing tone, it paradoxically feels uplifting at the same time. That makes no sense, I know, so just listen.

You can listen to samples of all her music at her site, which is all embedded in flash, so you will have to find your way manually (just go to Discography). If I were to recommend anything, I’d say to start with Sailor & Widow or End of May from Not Going Anywhere.

Despite the recent (well, not so recent anymore) rash of French bands we’ve mentioned, here is one that has a French name, but hails from Seattle. Also unlike the previous bands, while Mon Frere rocks, they do so with a touch of electronic playfulness, while at the same time not being too playful. If you were to mix Dover’s latest album (which most of their fans hate, but not me!) with The Gossip, you would end up somewhere in the delightful realm of Mon Frere. I haven’t heard anything off of Real Vampires besides the track listed below, but I can certifiably state that Blood, Sweat and Swords is consistently outstanding. I don’t think I’ve used that adjective to describe music yet, so there it is.

Downloads

From Blood, Sweat and Swords
Drain – (MP3, 3.8 MB)

From Real Vampires
Real Vampires Don’t Get Shitfaced (Fighting Mad) – (MP3, 1.8 MB)