Reno
The In Kraut
My friends often tend to get a bit snobby and dismissive of my love for French pop music, still bringing up Plastic Bertrand (who was 30 years ago and who was meant to be funny) with a sense of smug superiority. Well they are fools, because they don't know what they are missing. 
Over the last ten years especially a lot of really exciting French artists have been emerging.
Here some who are French or sing in French who I really like:
Another vote for Francoiz Breut, but I also really like her other half Dominique A., who writes many of her songs and who went from the minimal electro pop of La Fosette (check out the chilly Le Courage des Oiseuax) to the lush orchestral 60's style Tout Sera Comme Avant. His work with Yann Tiersen is also worth checking out. I also really like Alain Bashung's dark and moody Tel, which reminds me of Scott Walkers more recent stuff. Keren Ann is great, though she records more and more in English now. La Disparition and her last album Nolita are especially good. Katerine are lovely, though I don't know anything about them as are Crazy Curl.
Some older artist I still like to listen to are Lizzy Mercier Descloux (wose seminal album Mambo Nassau was a great influence on Talking Heads and who sadly died of cancer two years ago), Lio, The Honeymoon Killers, Hermine Demoriane and the fantastically deranged Les Rita Mitsouko, whose music is a mixture of ska and 30's style Cabaret music and who are still going strong after nearly 30 years.
Over the last ten years especially a lot of really exciting French artists have been emerging.Here some who are French or sing in French who I really like:
Another vote for Francoiz Breut, but I also really like her other half Dominique A., who writes many of her songs and who went from the minimal electro pop of La Fosette (check out the chilly Le Courage des Oiseuax) to the lush orchestral 60's style Tout Sera Comme Avant. His work with Yann Tiersen is also worth checking out. I also really like Alain Bashung's dark and moody Tel, which reminds me of Scott Walkers more recent stuff. Keren Ann is great, though she records more and more in English now. La Disparition and her last album Nolita are especially good. Katerine are lovely, though I don't know anything about them as are Crazy Curl.
Some older artist I still like to listen to are Lizzy Mercier Descloux (wose seminal album Mambo Nassau was a great influence on Talking Heads and who sadly died of cancer two years ago), Lio, The Honeymoon Killers, Hermine Demoriane and the fantastically deranged Les Rita Mitsouko, whose music is a mixture of ska and 30's style Cabaret music and who are still going strong after nearly 30 years.
