French Letter Music Blog
French Letter
Author:aidanCreated:Monday, November 27, 2006
La vie en rock - the best French music, how Irish acts are getting on in France, and other Parisian pop/rock reports from CLUAS.com's lad in Seine.

Justice 'violent' video angers France

By aidan onThursday, May 15, 2008
Like clockwork: The electro pair are causing controversy with the video for 'Stress' - seven minutes of urban violence.
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Jonathan Richman

By aidan onThursday, May 08, 2008
The Don Quixote of alt-rock played in Paris last night - next stop Ireland, for shows in Dublin, Belfast and Galway this weekend. Let's find out a little more about him (and a bit too much about your blogger).
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Keren Ann: Dublin gig in June

By aidan onSunday, May 04, 2008
The Israeli-born, Dutch-raised, Paris-matured, New York-dwelling singer will be at Crawdaddy on 21 June: the same date as France's national music day. Her albums are quiet, but she can rock out live, as proved by her performance of 'Lay Your Head Down' at a recent French awards show.
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Camille: in a 'Hole'...

By aidan onMonday, April 28, 2008
...and we're not digging it. The greatly-anticipated new album from the French vocaliser is a disappointment: too much self-consciousness, not enough songwriting, and some graceless slagging of other singers. What a pity.
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D'you know Junah?

By aidan onSunday, April 27, 2008
They're the Dublin folk-rockers who've been touring around France this last month as support to Kill The Young, that's who! They'll be back in Dublin very soon for a few shows: until then you can watch them playing on a balcony above Dame Street.
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Solidays, Paris, 4-6 July

By aidan onSaturday, April 26, 2008
Prix de lark: Yet another big French festival on the first weekend of July - this time, at a famous old racetrack in Paris. Visiting acts include Vampire Weekend, The Gossip and (appropriately) Foals, while the local favourites include Cocoon, Rhesus, Vitalic, Yael Naim, Laurent Garnier and Yelle.
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Paris by pop: Eiffel Tower

By aidan onSunday, April 20, 2008
In our new series, we show you the best of Paris via music videos made here. First, the most famous Paris landmark of all, in the video for Duran Duran's 'A View To A Kill'.
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Eurockeennes: all loud on the western front

By aidan onSaturday, April 19, 2008
Bell IV: The eastern French city of Belfort, historically a battle-ground, is today home to one of the country's biggest music festivals. The likes of CSS, dEUS, Vampire Weekend, The Gossip and loads more will be there on 4-6 July. French acts on the bill include Camille, Sebastien Tellier and prochaine-grande-chose The Dø: watch the video for 'On My Shoulders'.
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Main Square Festival: Arras an uachtarain!

By aidan onMonday, April 14, 2008
In the first of our 2008 holiday brochure series, a three-day festival right in the centre of a small northern French town. Check out the impressive first night: Chemical Brothers, Underworld, Justice and Boys Noize! Also appearing: Radiohead, Mika, The Wombats and Sigur Ros - "and more"!
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M83: new album, Dublin show

By aidan onTuesday, April 08, 2008
Another CLUAS-approved album by the Riviera shoegazer, who's be in Dublin later this month. At the Andrew's Lane Theatre! Next thing, they'll be blowing up the Pillar.
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Serge at 80

By aidan onWednesday, April 02, 2008
France's greatest ever pop star would have been 80 today. We look back on the life of Serge Gainsbourg - and find a topical song for today's Irish political revelation.
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Radiohead 'brown energy' festival gig

By aidan onTuesday, April 01, 2008
The U-Bends: You can have their album online for free. Spend a penny in France this summer, though, and you'll be helping Radiohead stage a unique eco-friendly concert powered by converted biomass - in other words, chemically-treated sewage. Mmmmm.
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Bell X1: French gigs

By aidan onSunday, March 30, 2008
The bells! The bells! Our fellow 'Soundings'-lovers will be supporting Nada Surf on their upcoming European tour, starting with three April concerts in France.
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Swearing! Nudity! Violence!

By aidan onFriday, March 28, 2008
Welcome to the world of Mylène Farmer, the reclusive Quebec singer and 'French Madonna' who's France's biggest female pop star. Her music is bland and forgettable but she does her best to make up for it (banned videos, explicit lyrics, deranged fans). Here's a song you won't be hearing on Irish radio anytime soon: a not-too-bad single called 'F*** Them All'. All this smut and swearing is really unlike us, you know.
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Patti Smith: Paris photo show

By aidan onThursday, March 27, 2008
Photos and other visual work by the iconic US rocker feature in a new exhibition at the Fondation Cartier in Paris. Smith will also perform at the centre as part of a concert series to complement the stuff on the walls - Kevin Shields will make a contribution.
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Springtime in Paris: Poney Express

By aidan onTuesday, March 25, 2008
My lovely horse: Your blogger loves Paris in the springtime (and all year round), but we're also dreaming of the French countryside. Here's the song that's making us dream: 'Paris De Loin' by Poney Express.
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Fancy a Jarre tonight?

By aidan onTuesday, March 18, 2008
The French electronica legend is performing his classic 'Oxygène' album at the National Concert Hall in Dublin tonight and tomorrow night. Here's a video for a piece of music you should recognise.
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French SXSW-ing in the USA

By aidan onWednesday, March 12, 2008
The annual alt-music get-together takes place in this week. French acts appearing in Austin include Digitalism and Herman Dune [Are you sure about this? - Ed.]. Okay, so the Frenchness of many of the Gallic contingent is questionable. Ironically, one of the genuine French acts playing in Texas is The Rodeo - watch 'I'm Rude'.
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Music awards: Daft Punk in gimp masks

By aidan onMonday, March 10, 2008
Victoire huge-o: Justice, Yael Naim, Feist (!) and Vanessa Paradis were among the winners at France's annual music award show. But look: there's Daft Punk! In the audience! Nominated for a prize! And wearing rubber headgear! What'll they say and do if they win? You can watch for yourself - along with a fantastic live performance from Keren Ann.
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Declan de Barra: Paris show

By aidan onSaturday, March 08, 2008
Tough times in Paris for some of our compatriots. Unperturbed by the bad vibes, up pops a Waterford singer-songer for a support slot in the French capital this Sunday. Here's Declan de Barra singing 'Throw Your Arms Around Me on Irish television.
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Sebastien Tellier enters Eurovision!

By aidan onFriday, March 07, 2008
The ultra-hip but slightly bizarre Parisian electro idol has really gone and done it - he's just been announced as France's entry for Eurovision 2008. But can he possibly beat 'la dinde irlandaise'?
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Michel Gondry's Irish videos

By aidan onMonday, March 03, 2008
The celebrated French video-maker has to date made three promos for Irish acts. His work for Energy Orchard and Hothouse Flowers can be put down to on-the-job training, perhaps. However, here's a fairly impressive video for Sinead O'Connor's 'Fire On Babylon'.
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Air's 'Moon Safari' ten years on

By aidan onTuesday, February 26, 2008
A bout de souffle: Marking a decade since their much-loved debut album, Air will release a deluxe edition of 'Moon Safari' on 31 March. It still sounds wonderful - take a trip to the moon (and 1998) with the video for 'Sexy Boy'.
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'Parisienne Walkways'

By aidan onSunday, February 24, 2008
It goes "WAAAAOOOOUUUW, WAH-WAOUW-WOW, WOW-WOW-WAOUH, WAH-WAOUH..." and you pull your best rock-god air-guitar poses. Watch Gary Moore and Phil Lynott, real-deal rock gods, perform their famous duet live in the 1980s.
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Paris-London band swap

By aidan onThursday, February 21, 2008
The best of times: A new series of concerts sees acts from the UK capital playing in the French capital, and vice versa. Could the same concept work for an Irish city?
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