Bonjour Motherfuckers #18
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I bet you were expecting the old man in me yelling at the cloud again, ceaselessly complaining about global warming and the fact that we’re all going to die in 30 years. But it’s way too hot for that, so I’m not even going to try and flog that dead horse to begin with. Instead, I want to talk a bit about the recent news we’ve recently shared concerning The 405’s imminent closing (which in fact won’t take place until December). The site’s remarkable ability to transform as a platform, allowing its contributors to write about virtually everything they want, is what allowed Bonjour Motherfuckers to exist in the first place, and to gradually become a micro-community of French music export owing its existence particularly to those smaller labels, labors of love, whose work is too precious and valuable to get lost on its way across the English Channel.
But let’s not cry over this, firstly because we still have a couple of months to go (meaning loads of new music to discover), and secondly because crying in these situations doesn’t help with anything — it only wastes the time you should be spending listening to the exciting new releases I curate for you monthly. We’ll be celebrating your favourite column right until it breathes its last breath — at least in this format, as I vow to find a proper new home for it when the time comes. Quoting Take That, just never forget where you’ve come here from.
Another reason to celebrate is the extra-special, Summer-themed illustration Pedro Ponte has treated us to this month, a Bonjour Motherfuckers customised ice-cream van serving the crème de la crème of new French music. Check out more of Pedro Ponte’s work on his Tumblr and Instagram.
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eGGs unveil new single ‘A Certain Smile’/’Picture Book’
After having treated us to a self-titled EP last December, Parisian quartet eGGs is back with a brand new single showcasing their amazing jangly retro Pop à la Guided By Voices or Television Personalities. A-side ‘A Certain Smile’ is backed with ‘Picture Book’ (no, it’s not a Kinks’ cover) whose video features footage from Michel Vuillermet’s 90s documentary Nous, Enfants Du Rock edited by Pierrette Clain. You can check it out above, plus head over to Howlin Banana Records’ bandcamp for a limited vinyl edition of the 45.
Rottier shares new track ‘Troubled Mind’
Every once in a while Rendez Vous’ drummer Guillaume Rottier releases an impromptu solo track, often out of the blue, without explaining if it’s part of a major project or an upcoming release. ‘Troubled Mind’ is the most recent offering from the drummer-by-day-crooner-by-night, a haunted lo-fi Pop tune reminiscent of the likes of Psychic Ills and Alex Cameron that he recorded at his home studio in Aubagne. And there’s a video to go with it as well, an equally homemade production edited by Marine Chaplais which you can watch above.
Periods unveil video for ‘Jupiter’
Paris-via-Rennes sister trio are set to revolutionise the new French punk-synth scene. Influenced by the heterogenous likes of Suicide, Devo, 60s garage, cumbia and Riot Grrrl, Dana, Ophélie, and Paola have already unveiled three killer tunes that serve as a preview of debut EP Vocoder 3000, which is expected to drop in the fall. ‘Jupiter’ is their most recent track, now getting the DIY visual treatment with the three sisters taking editing duties into their own hands. Stay put for more info on the forthcoming release.
Stereo Total release new album Ah! Quel Cinéma!
Franco-german duo Stereo Total are back with a brand new full-length: Ah! Quel Cinéma! is the band’s 14th (!) proper LP, and arrives a full 24 years after their debut Oh Ah! (they do seem to like their exclamation points). An exquisite balance between deliciously sugary and acid kraut (which also embodies their multilingual approach), Ah! Quel Cinéma! is out now on Tapete Records and was previewed by ‘Cinémascope’, whose video you can watch above. They’ve also announced a series of EU dates (sorry UK!) including a show at Paris’ Petit Bain in October.
Mémoire Neuve puts out unreleased EP from Special Service
Mémoire Neuve is not your usual label: formed by five friends on a mission — releasing shelved music from 70s/80s French bands -, the collective has recently put out an EP from Marseille pop-punkers Special Service containing four previously unreleased tracks from 1979 to1982. The tapes have been acquired via the band’s ex-manager since the main players are sadly no longer with us, and they sound refreshingly relevant, addictive, and fun — a real treat from the past. Check out the EP in full via the label’s bandcamp.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the ongoing Bonjour Motherfuckers playlist (season one also available here), which gathers the artists we talk about in the column. You can also listen to the radio version on ruc.pt, which in the Summer months will be broadcasted during Peta-Zetas.
Originally published at https://www.thefourohfive.com.
