Bertrand Betsch could be a French cousin of The Postal Service with its sugar-sweet electronic pop sound on "Pas De Bras, Pas De Chocolat"
Stefie Shock's "Un Homme À La Mer" combines what sounds like a Casio-keyboard preset rhythm pattern with old-world European pop melodies for an effect.
With her sophisticated, sexy, very feminine lounge sound, Camille would be an instant hit with fans of Feist, the Canadian ex-pat with whom she shares vocal similarities – not to mention the elegant production which is something Feist producer Gonalez would no doubt gives a two-thumbs way up to. The super minimal production help makes "Baby Carni Bird" so very interesting; a gentle synth drone and electric pianos, gorgeous female vocals.... the track is gently driven with a sultry shaker part. But the bulk of the sound comes from a super-funky bass part.
Mathie Boogaerts sounds to this writer an awful lot like Tom Zé – crazy off-kilter percussion, gentle classical guitars, a whispery voice and pretty female back up vocals chiming in unexpectedly. Magical. Why aren't there any Americans producing pop music this sophisticated and avant-garde?
An unforgettable, violin-like synth riff and gentle disco feel drive "J'ai Changé", a moody masterpiece by Albin De La Simone. Featuring very nice classical guitar work and a million-dollar voice, makes the listener wonder if every song on this album will be better than the one before – and considering how well it started....
Toma's "Tabatha" has an avant-R'n'B feel that recalls Kelis' "Milkshake" a little bit. Synths blip and blurt out a hip-hop beat, with some Arabic drums and a disco guitar riff. Heavy breathing! The French spare no expense in crafting the perfect pop song.
The deep, sexy female voice on Jerome Minière's "Un Magasin Qui N'existe Pas" is not unlike that of Delaney, another excellent French chanteuse whose CD rolled through the Left Hip offices recently. A very moody track, minimally produced with nice toms beating gently.
Therry Stremler's "Pas Ce Coir" sounds very different from the rest of "Le Pop 3", it has what sounds to these ears like a very American sound. A straight beat, with a catchy acoustic guitar part and a sweet melody gives way to a soaring, incredibly catchy chorus.
For fans of sophisticated, avant-pop, look no further. The French clearly have the game won, and Le Pop 3 is an excellent sampling of what that country has to offer these days. Beautiful! Highly recommended!
