Reproduction deserves more than listening

"Contra" Vampire Weekend

(1 CD XL Recordings)

The XX Londoners have marked the end of the year 2009 with their stratospheric pop-rock. The New Yorkers Vampire Weekend will enchant early 2010 with their solar rock world. "Contra" is their second album. With the same recipe - fusion between a nervous rock and the "world music" African-, the Group happily transforms test. The sound is further, lavish orchestrations - mixture of emergency rock-and-rollesque on airburst guitars and heady "afro" rhythms - and graceful melodies. Our four vampires rightly alternate elegiac ballads, such as "horchata", and runaway hymns, such as the infernal "Cousins", selected as first "single" (double a funny clip and "arty"). Thought a little to Paul Simon, in his South African period, in more vitamin. It is fresh, it is hot. The connected to the Big Apple love. The French thrill should worship also.

PH. (C).

"Reproduction" of Arnaud Fleurent-Didier

(1 CD Columbia/Sony BMG)

For many, it's the song of this new decade: "France Culture", signed Arnaud Fleurent-Didier, a monologue, more bitter than sweet, while spoken but with a grandiose orchestration. AFD speaks of childhood, of a world of embittered adults, an uncertain future. It is not tired of listen. It can be said that it is the Summit of this seductive album, a little sometimes - keep the third opus of Fleurent-Didier (including an as the name of Notre-Dame!). It enjoys two songs mirror, "Granny 68" - "Pépé 44" or, better, "The origin of the world", sensual in Devil. Beach Beach, this album unveils a film world with sometimes excesses as a nothing tired néo-funky arrangements. And rather as a little brother of Vincent Delerm and others, in spiritual son of Pierre Vassiliu (time "En vadrouille Montpellier") that Arnaud Fleurent-Didier is necessary. "Reproduction" deserves more than listening.

PH. N

"Handmade", from Hindi Zahra

(1 CD Oursoul/Blue Note-EMI)

She is of Moroccan origin was born in a family of artists Berbers. She lives in France. She was thirty years old, a beautiful voice and she has published a beautiful album of folk-blues, at Blue Note: "Handmade". We already heard his (more reggae than tango at the bottom...) "Beautiful Tango". The disk is: decidedly cool and modern, very little "world fusion" - except his texts written for parts in French and Berber. and a title like "Stand-up" reminiscences gnawa waves. This disk will delight all fans of Tinariwen (and their desert blues) to rock "indie" (Feist, NAFTA Diane) or folk-jazz (Norah Jones, even Madeleine Peyroux). Small blues salted-sweet, elegiac ballads ("Don't Forget", "old friends"), melodic rocks ("Music")... This disk "handmade" is a happiness and Zahra a revelation. The year 2010 will be Berber or will not be...

PH. (C).

"Solo Dal vivo" of Gianmaria Testa

(1 CD the song of world/Harmonia Mundi)

Like Paolo Conte You love Leonard Cohen Then you should appreciate the last disk of Gianmaria Testa, the French of Italian artists. It is here that he had his first success. Captured in public in Rome in 2009, this album is stripped, the poet and singer accompanied simply on acoustic guitar. Can this formula of austere appearance, intended to highlight the texts of a troubadour, touch a foreign language of Dante public The answer is Yes, without hesitation. The simple melodies of Gianmaria Testa wear us. Her sweet and serious voice speaks, even if we do not understand what it says... This is much better to listen to some French singers who have no voice and little things to say.

R. V.

In concert: February 2, Nantes; February 3, Paris; February 5, Toulouse; February 26, Pertuis; May 28, Palaiseau; May 29, Thourotte.

"the sleeper" of The Leisure Society

(1 CD Full Time Hobby/Pias)

Guitar groups upset are scarce these days. A little tenderness to fight the brutality of the crisis: the pop is back in its form the most fresh and air style neo-Beatles. The Leisure Society, group of gifted young British musicians, beautifully represents this trend. "sleeper" is a disc of the Fab Four, composed solely of ballads "Norwegian Wood" or "blackbird" style Melodic folk-pop, sweet-and-sour harmonious vocals and subtle arrangements (sweet strings, flutes, small percussion) with a small side soundtrack of "cartoon". "A fighting Chance" "The Sleeper", "A Short Weekend Begins with Longing"... Difficult to get a title of the lot. All are also ehosts and energizing. A real dream awake for refined music lover.

PH. (C).