This article was first published
on CLUAS in August 2006

French Letter: Paris Calling

Aidan looks at the latest crop of Parisian bands angling for indie stardom...

Aidan Curran, a CLUAS writer since 2004, is now based in Paris from where he files the 'French Letter' column

?Paris Calling? is the name of a 2006 compilation album and a subsequent showcase gig in the French capital. As the Clash-alluding title suggests, the half-dozen or so bands involved see themselves as parishioners in the broad church of punk and new wave ? and mass is in English. Photos are black-and-white, blurry and taken either in a crowded venue or against a blank wall. Essential paraphernalia includes badges and mocked-up vinyl pressings of their singles. So far, so NME-in-2003.

Paris Calling Many of the acts tell a similar story; how around 2002 they were awoken from their slumber in leafy suburban Paris by the rolling thunder of the new British and New York guitar bands. These bands, then, are among the first generation of those inspired by the Strokes, Libertines, Franz Ferdinand and so forth. However, in most of their songs you can hear how they?ve worked their way back to Sonic Youth, the Ramones, the Modern Lovers and the Velvet Underground.

In general the New York sound and attitude (jagged riffs, skinny-fit clothes, calling your band Brooklyn after the NY district) wins out over that of London (pub-rock rhythm, drunken bleariness, calling your band Brooklyn after the first Beckham child and heir). There's very little that you could call ?French-sounding? about this music, apart from the occasional French lyrics and one almost surreal ?un-deux-trois-quatre? count-in. It's clear that these bands have ambitions of breaking London and New York, hence the dependence on English as their working language.

So, who are the bands to watch in this new scene?

The Parisians

The Parisians Despite their matter-of-fact name (warning: they aren?t in any way the French equivalent of The Dubliners), this band's Libertines/Babyshambles-esque earthy and sweaty rock could be straight from the pubs of London. Alan McGee was believed to be interested in offering them a deal ? although another current rumour has it that the band has in fact broken up.

Listen to: ?Why Choose One Side? www.myspace.com/parisians

Plastiscine

Formed after meeting at a Libertines gig in Paris, Plastiscine write catchy US-flavoured guitar-pop along the lines of Le Tigre and the B-52s. They have an accomplished producer, Maxime Schmitt, who has worked with Kraftwerk. Most of all, though, they are the four photogenic uber-cool French girls that all indie-boys dream of. Stardom beckons. Oh, and their songs are deadly.

Listen to: ?Twist Around The Fire? www.myspace.com/plastiscine

Second Sex

Second Sex Ah, a Simone de Beauvoir reference ? this must be Paris! Debating in the Sorbonne, philosophising in smoky Latin Quarter caf?, being in a garage-punk band which look like the Ramones and sound like the Ramones ? the French intellectual connection is obvious, really.

Listen to: ?Lick My Boots? www.myspace.com/secondsex

Brooklyn

Brooklyn Their New York name is a bit misleading; they sound the most Britpop (ask your granddad) of these bands. The intro to ?Heart Lies? even sounds like ?I Will Follow? by U2 ? a punk-influenced new wave band too, as they?ve spent their last two albums trying to demonstrate.

Listen to: ?Heart Lies? www.myspace.com/aboutbrooklyn

The Rolls

The Rolls Another trio, this time sounding a lot like Sonic Youth. Three guys, yet singer Thomas Darmon sounds like Kim Gordon on ?Time?. Perhaps they need to broaden their record collection just a wee bit...

Listen to: ?Time? www.myspace.com/lesrolls

The ?Paris Calling? compilation on Because Music/Bonus Tracks Records is probably available from the usual online music outlets, or in most French record stores if you happen to be in Paris any time soon. More information (in French) and links (in the international language of clickable ?friends?) can be found at www.myspace.com/pariscalling

Aidan Curran

Other French Letter columns (from 2006 through to March 2007)

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*Best French Music of 2006...*	Dateline: December 2006
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*The latest Parisian bands angling for indie stardom...*	Dateline: August 2006
?Paris Calling? is the name of a 2006 compilation album and a subsequent showcase gig in the French capital. As the Clash-alluding title suggests, the half-dozen or so bands involved see themselves as parishioners in the broad church of punk and new wave ? and mass is in English. Photos are black-and-white, blurry and taken either in a crowded venue or against a blank wall. Read the full article...
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It's hard to concentrate on music at the moment when football, wonderful football, is demanding all your love and attention. The French rock scene, however, could soon have its own international champions before the end of the summer. Phoenix, from Versailles, have just released their third album "It's Never Been Like That" and big things are expected of them. Read the full article...
*Rap and its constructive role in French society.*	Dateline: May 2006
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*The French success of Irishman Perry Blake.*	Dateline: April 2006
I braved the paddywagons around the Sorbonne last week to head to my favourite Parisian book- and record-store, Gibert Joseph halfway up the boulevard Saint Michel. There, I found a display for the new release by an Irish singer described on his album's promo sticker as 'le dernier dandy romantique' ('the last romantic dandy'). This wasn't the new Van Morrison record, then. Read the full article...
*Irish music, as understood by the French...*	Dateline: March 2006
So it's March again, the month when a certain green-tinted festival will be celebrated around the world by ex-pats and non-Pats alike. France too will join in the fun. Last year, posters plastered across every metro station in Paris were promoting a huge St Patrick's night concert at Bercy, the equivalent of The Point. The advertising featured a young red-haired dancer, Book-of-Kells typeface and a list of Celtic regions - Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany, the Isle of Man... but not Ireland! Surely some mistake? Read the full article...
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Not to be confused with the Dublin-based cabaret singer of the same name, Camille and her album 'Le Fil' won the prestigious Prix Constantine for the most promising new act to emerge onto the French scene in 2005. Sounding both petulant and warm at once, this single is idiosyncratic and likeable. An approximate transcription of the backing vocal is 'splutter-groan-squeal-belch-fart'. Read the full article...
*Voulez-Vous Rocker Avec Moi? The French rock scene.*	Dateline: January 2006
As I sit on a terrasse sipping my caf?allong?and watching Parisian commuters scowl at tourists, I reflect on the many wonderful things about life in France ? excellent food; streets alive with history and art; Juliette Binoche. Unfortunately, being the CLUAS correspondent in Paris involves listening to a lot of French alternative music ? and French alternative music is quite dire. Read the full article...

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French Letter: Paris Calling

Aidan looks at the latest crop of Parisian bands angling for indie stardom...

Other French Letter columns (from 2006 through to March 2007)

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