Francoiz Breut [Import]

Product Description
Following in the Same Downbeat Pop Traditions of Serge Gainesbourg, Francois Hardy and France Gall Comes the Debut Album from Breut. 10 Tracks Build Upon One Another to Create a Meloncholy Atmosphere Soothed Over by her Captivating Vocals.

Tracks:

(Intro)
Certitude
Over All
Ravin
Vie Devant Soi
Tambours
Ultimo
KM 83
Sur le Balcon
Ville AllongSur le Dos
Bo de Nuit
Please Be Angry
Ciudad del Mar
Premier Bonheur du Jour
Contourne-Moi

Album Description

Following in the fine downbeat Gallic pop tradition laid down by Sergé Gainsbourg, Françoise Hardy & France Gall, Warner releases Françoiz Breut's third album, Une Sason Volee (which translates to 'One Stolen Season'). Brought up in Cherbourg, Françoiz's early musical influences were gleaned from her sister's vast vinyl collection & some late nights in bed with John Peel (c'mon, the radio show!) After leaving school, she started singing in a cover band doing versions of The Kinks & X-Ray Spex. During this time she met & fell in love with Dominique A. (now a huge star in France). She accompanied him on stage for 3 years & sang backing vocals on his album 'Twenty-Two Bar'. Then towards the end of 1996 she realised she wanted to do something for herself. Working with Dominique, this sad elegant music slowly begun to evolve. There's a subtle feminine edge to her songs; and with the cool brushes of Sacha Toorop evoking a 50's jazz feel & the Hammond organ & slide guitar of Dominique A., a poignant canvas for Françoiz's captivating vocals is formed. Think Nico's 'Chelsea Girl' and Lee Hazelwood's 'Requiem For An Almost Lady.' Warner. 2005.

Customer Reviews:

Une saison volée (A stolen season).......2005-07-29

Une saison volée falls right in line with the other two Francoiz Breut LPs, "Vingt ou trente mille jours" and her self-titled debut. It's dark, brooding, mysterious, full of reverb-accented acoustic instruments backed up with tasteful samples and stark percussion. It's more of a personal record than the first two: somehow, whether it's the folded-paper CD case, the chiaroscuro of the unposed snapshots, or the simplicity of the songs, the record gives off a strong DIY vibe.

I imagine that the whole album was recorded in someone's barn over a long weekend with a couple of extremely talented musicians who know each other extremely well. To take one song as an example, "Km 83" offers an earnest strummed guitar accompaniment, with marimba and organ flourishes, along with some faint synthesized boiler-knocking sounds further into the song, all clearly subordinate to Francoiz's gorgeous voice.

Yes, her voice is still astonishing. It's a contralto, breathy but full, supple, and tonal. She actually sings real notes and melodies, and her material suits her perfectly. Francoiz doesn't push her voice to sing; she lets the notes come to her voice except for rare moments, like the emotional chorus to "Please Be Angry." And even there, she doesn't let the melody fade from her voice like so many of her thin-voiced vocal counterparts, she holds onto it as she sings harder and more emphatically. While most of Une saison volée is in French, this disc also features Francoiz warbling in Italian ("Ultimo"), Spanish ("Ciudad del Mar"), as well as two tunes in English ("Over All" and "Please Be Angry").

"La boîte de nuit" is my choice for the most accomplished cut on the disc. It tells the story of a woman waiting for her man outside a nightclub. The guitar is electric, reminiscent of the Police's Synchronicity, and the song fades out with a vibraphone solo. The vocal treatment, naturally, is spot on; Francoiz sounds like Brigitte Fontaine the way she grabs onto the melody and uses her voice to interpret the lyrics, not just sing them.

The songs don't vary much in tonal palette, tempo, or mood; the album is pretty much all torch-songs. The earlier songs on the disc are the most conventional. As the listening set progresses more noise and electronic elements are added, such as the unpleasant vinyl-like scratches on "Ciudad del Mar." At the end, "Contourne-moi" sports a mechanical percussion sound on a different meter than her singing, leaving the listener feeling jarred and ill at ease. Not a great way to finish up what is in many ways a very accomplished album. For this reason I give "Une saison volée" only four stars, not the five that her two previous and more well-rounded efforts deserve.

Average customer rating:

Francoiz Breut Captivates
Breut and Gloomy

Vingt a Trente Mille Jours [IMPORT]
Francoiz Breut
Manufacturer: EMI Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Francoiz Breut
La Biographie de Luka Philipsen
Une Saison Volee
La Disparition
Home

ASIN: B00004XRJ3
Release Date: 2001-05-22

Tracks:

Derriere Le Grand Filtre
Si Tu Disais
L'Affaire D'Un Jour
Porthmouth
L'Origine Du Monde
Vingt A Trente Mille Jours
La Chanson D'Helene
Silhouette Minuscule
Sans Souci
La Nuit Repose
L'Heure Bleue
Il N'Y A Pas D'Hommes Dans Les Coulisses
Le Verre Pile
Je Ne Veux Pas Quitter

Amazon.com

An update of '60s French pop by way of indie rock, Vingt à Trente Mille Jours is a fine showcase for chanteuse Françoiz Breut. The album's lush arrangements manage to retain a welcome roughness around the edges. Brushed drums, whammy-bar guitars, gorgeous strings, vibraphone tones, and other sounds are deployed to create dramatic accompaniment for the melancholy French vocalist. The overall vibe, if not the sound of the disc, recalls the gloom of mid-'90s trip-hop. "Silhouette Minuscule" certainly sounds like a distant relative of that genre. On "Vingt à Trente Mille Jours," a rough and tumbling rhythm section contrasts nicely with Breut's sweet singing. Two of the album's best tracks, "Si Tu Disais" and "Derrière le Grand Filtre," evoke Love's masterpiece, Forever Changes. The latter song's chord cycle relentlessly repeats and builds as strings soar above driving guitar. This standout opener hints at just how good the rest of the album is. --Fred Cisterna

Album Description

Her sophomore album features a guest appearance by Calexico. Brought up in Cherbourg, Françoiz's early musical influences were gleaned from her sister's vast vinyl collection & some late nights in bed with John Peel (c'mon, the radio show!) After leaving school, she started singing in a cover band doing versions of The Kinks & X-Ray Spex. During this time she met & fell in love with Dominique A. (now a huge star in France). She accompanied him on stage for 3 years & sang backing vocals on his album 'Twenty-Two Bar'. Then towards the end of 1996 she realised she wanted to do something for herself. Working with Dominique, this sad elegant music slowly begun to evolve. There's a subtle feminine edge to her songs; and with the cool brushes of Sacha Toorop evoking a 50's jazz feel & the Hammond organ & slide guitar of Dominique A., a poignant canvas for Françoiz's captivating vocals is formed. Think Nico's 'Chelsea Girl' and Lee Hazelwood's 'Requiem For An Almost Lady.' EMI. 2001.

Album Details

Breut is a Passionate Painter as Well as Recording Artist. Her Second Album Has Eschewed the Monochromatic Melancholiness of It's Predecessor and Employed Rich, Beautiful String Arrangements and a Diversity of Rhythms and Themes. The Production Duties were Handled by Fabrice Laureau and Engineered by Craig Schumacher (Calexico). The Lyrics were Written by Close Friend Dominique A. Breut Will Tie this Recording with a New Exhibition of her Illustrations and Handmade Book.

Customer Reviews:

Francoiz Breut Captivates.......2002-02-11

Francoiz Breut's music in firmly rooted the stylish 1960s French pop tradition of Serge Gainsbourg and Francois Hardy. The music is composed and arranged by her partner Dominique A, but it is Francoiz's icy vocal presence floating above the voluptous sting arrangements that seduce even the most jaded listeners. Cherbourg native Francoiz Breut has the mysterious aura of the beautiful Gallic muse in the tradition of Jeanne Moreau or Juliette Binoche. Her elulsive personna is as much what she is not; as what she is...Or as Nico so aptly put it,"I am your mirror"; a paradoxical reflection of both desire and detachment. Her vocals are at once; deeply wounded, intimately playful and breathlessly passionate. The eccentric retro-jazz arrangements with a cornicopia of fuzz box guitars, finger snapping snare drum pops, sweeping violins, and bubblegum beatnick posturing are icing on the cake. Take one part Nico, one part Beth Gibbons (Potishead) and one part Marianne Faithfull, and mix it with Lee Greenwood/Nancy Sinatra's "One Velvet Morning" and sift it with Brian Wilson's "Pet Sounds" and Voila!... you have "Vignt a Trente Mille Jours" (translated as "Twenty to Thirty Thousand Days") by Francoiz Breut and Dominque A. Recommended for after-hours liasons, sunny or rainy spring afternoons, or as ambient music on the boulevard of broken dreams.

Breut and Gloomy.......2001-06-07

While it is probably true that gloom and ennui, like love, sound better in French (Think Billy Holiday's 'Songs for Distingue Lovers'), Francoiz Breut would move even in translation. Although less startling than her debut, Ms Breut and partner/collaborateur Dominique Ane still get the cool poise and weltschmerz (damn, that's German) just right on this beautiful, though wintry album. The usual comparisons are with Nico, Mazzy Star and Catpower - and think of these singing a Francoise Sagan novel to music by the live and symphonic Portishead and we are close to a description, but not a definition.

The title track is particularly striking in the infinite weariness - and wary lack of sentiment - evoked by Ms Breut's phrasing, as does the opening, the beautiful 'Derriere le grand filtre', dominated by acoustic guitars and, later, strings, all reminiscent of the first Cohen album, though its worldview is more like that of his 'Songs and Love and Hate'. This song ironically ends with sampled folk music - a contrapuntal sign of an optimism the persona lacks. 'L'Affaire d'un Jour' is Cowboy Junkies - but on better junk - Brigitte Fontaine as Country and Western singer. Beautiful in a low pained bored way - as dark and sexy as suicide in the Seine, the album is really only let down a little on the one English track - a cover of Peggy Lee's 'Sans Souci' - in which the poise becomes pose.

Breathy and brooding, this artist forces the question : why aren't more people speaking about her ? Like Lo Galuccio, An Pierle and Catpower, Francoiz Breut seems to be a little below the radar of Pop culture. Perhaps this is because of innate Anglo-American chauvinism in this case. Perhaps it is because people are stupid.

Average customer rating:

french chanteuse

like

Francoiz Breut's Seductive and Stylish French Pop

fresh

Ten stars, really!

Francoiz Breut
Francoiz Breut
Manufacturer: EMI Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

France | Continental Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music
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Vingt a Trente Mille Jours [IMPORT]

La Biographie de Luka Philipsen

Une Saison Volee

Bye Bye Beauté

La Disparition

ASIN: B00003IQLT
Release Date: 2000-10-23

Tracks:

Tarifa
Ma Colere
Rue Ne Te Reprendra Pas
Everyone Kisses A Strange
Femme Sans Histoire
Nord
Motus
Don D'ubiquite
Apres La Nuit
My Wedding Man

Album Details

Following in the Same Downbeat Pop Traditions of Serge Gainesbourg, Francois Hardy and France Gall Comes the Debut Album from Breut. 10 Tracks Build Upon One Another to Create a Meloncholy Atmosphere Soothed Over by her Captivating Vocals.

Customer Reviews:

french chanteuse.......2005-08-28

I found this cd used for only a few dollars at a local record store and bought it on impulse thinking it would be another Ye-Ye record. It's not. Francoiz Breut sings in a soft voice that sometimes is barely a whisper. The music has a dark trip-hop vibe to it incorporating elements of dub, folk, and electronica. French superstar Dominique A. wrote the majority of songs, plays most of the instruments, and sings on one song. An indispensable part of my record collection...

like.......2005-04-29

ooh , I like her. Nice clear voice and she does not whisper. One thing that bothered me though is she sounds like she is speaking not singing. I love the melodies of each song.

Francoiz Breut's Seductive and Stylish French Pop.......2005-02-07

Francoiz Breut's music in firmly rooted the stylish French pop tradition of Jane Birkin and Francois Hardy. The dense atomospheric musical arrangements chart the same musical terrain of classic sixties producers like Serge Gainsbourg, Lee Hazelwood, and even Brian Wilson. In contrast to the voluptuous arrangements is Francoiz's airy vocal presence. Her voice is so light it floats above the music weaving a spell of hypnotic seduction.

Cherbourg native Francoiz Breut has the mysterious aura of the beautiful Gallic muse in the tradition of Jeanne Moreau.
Her elusive persona is as much what she is not; as what she is...Or as Nico so aptly put it,"I am your mirror"; a paradoxical reflection of both desire and detachment. Her vocals are at once; deeply wounded, icy, intimately playful and breathlessly passionate. This CD, Francoiz Breut's 2000 self titled debut, along with her 2001 cult favorite "Vingt a Trente: Mille Jours" are both recommended as overlooked masterpieces by a singer who personfies style and orginality, in a world of by-the-numbers, artless pop music. Those who appreciate the brooding chanteuse persona of singers Nico, Marianne Faithfull or Portishead's Beth Gibbons will find Francoiz Breut's music to be a revelation.

fresh.......2004-04-24

after reading the reviews i ordered.... i'm giving it 4 stars, but I've only listened to it 2 times. i'm a big fan of the romantic scratchy vintage 30-40's french tunes, this was a leap into new music for me, however with a few more listens, I may retract the 4 stars and give francioz all 5. her sound is fresh.

Ten stars, really!.......2002-09-09

WOW. One of the most striking, alluring, atmospheric, jazzy, sexy French albums you're likely to hear. When this came out in 1996, I was DJ-ing on a local noncommercial station & whenever I would play it, a dozen people would call to ask "wow! what is this!?" If you are looking for a truly enchanting, truly different-sounding record to groove out on, give this a try. This features smoky, Marianne Faithfull-style vocals swathed in a cloak of dreamy, somewhat foreboding arrangements not unlike Marc Ribot-era Tom Waits, or (dare I say it?) the Cowboy Junkies... Highly recommnended! (PS - you might also check out her boyfriend and musical partner, Dominique A, who also has several good albums out, and who co-produced this album... two of the best, most original French rock artists of the 1990s...)

Average customer rating:

Ma Colere
Francoiz Breut
Manufacturer: Bella Union
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Tracks:

Ma Col
Fiasco
Forges

Average customer rating:

Stripped Down French Passion - Fantastique Musique!
An interesting third release from Francoiz...

Une Saison Volee
Francoiz Breut
Manufacturer: La Tribu Canada
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0009R1A4Y
Release Date: 2005-06-13

Tracks:

(Intro)
Certitude
Over All
Ravin
Vie Devant Soi
Tambours
Ultimo
KM 83
Sur le Balcon
Ville AllongSur le Dos
Bo de Nuit
Please Be Angry
Ciudad del Mar
Premier Bonheur du Jour
Contourne-Moi

Album Details

Some People have their Clothes Tailor Made, Francoiz Breut Has Songs Tailor Made for her with Lyrics by Dominique A. The Result is a Gem of an Album, Rich with Intimate Ambiances, Sometimes Rock, Solid and Audacious Project Performed with Fervour and Sensibility by the Beautiful Francoiz.

Customer Reviews:

Stripped Down French Passion - Fantastique Musique! .......2006-02-25

This a wonderful French artist whose songs are hauntingly beautiful, but with a modern edge. Good instrumentation and passionate lyrics (with a sensitive vocal performance) makes for music that really creeps into your soul. Some of the songs are stripped right down to the bare bones, which makes them all the more powerful. This album will leave you wanting more, and perhaps open you up to a whole new world of possibilities. This lady is a real discovery - chic, passionate and lyrical. In fact, all that is French. Best track is 'Over All'. Fantastique!

An interesting third release from Francoiz..........2005-11-14

First off, if you enjoy Francoiz Breut or French indie music then buy Une Saison Volee. I've given it four stars since I don't feel it's quite on par with her first two CDs (Francoiz Breut and Vingt A Trente Mille Jours) which were a bit darker and somewhat more melodic (they also happen to be two of my favorite CDs of all time and I should really give them ten or fifteen stars each). Still, the CD takes its own direction and shows another facet of her musical talent. She has a tight band on this production and although Dominique A is not represented very much (2 songs), the songwriting stands well. This is highly inventive and emotional stuff, from driving rock to sensual tenderness, but always with an edge. Francoiz is an excellent and sensitive musician and her work is bold and original. She sings in French, English, Italian, and Spanish on this album. I purchased this CD through a third party seller in Canada for roughly half the amazon.com price.

Average customer rating:

Ma Colere
Francoiz Breut
Manufacturer: Bella Union -- Dei --
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000252BD
Release Date: 2001-07-31

Tracks:

Ma Col
Fiasco
Forges

Average customer rating:

Une Saison Volee
Francoiz Breut
Manufacturer: Green Ufos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000CCD08U
Release Date: 2005-11-29

Tracks:

(Intro)
Certitude
Over All
Ravin
Vie Devant Soi
Tambours
Ultimo
KM 83
Sur le Balcon
Ville AllongSur le Dos
Bo de Nuit
Please Be Angry
Ciudad del Mar
Premier Bonheur du Jour
Contourne-Moi

Average customer rating:

Beautiful, moody French indie rock

Vingt a Trente Mille Jours
Francoiz Breut
Manufacturer: Bella Union
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Tracks:

Derri le Grand Filtre
Si Tu Disais
Affaire d'Un Jour
Portsmouth
Origine du Monde
Vingt a Trente Mille Jours
Chanson d'Helene
Silhouette Minuscule
Sans Souci
Nutt Repose
Heure Bleue
Il N'Y a Pas d'Hommes Dans Les Coulissens
Verre Pile
Je Ne Veux Pas Quitter

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful, moody French indie rock.......2002-09-09

This shares much of the same brooding grace as her first album from 1996 that endeared France's most downcast mademoiselle to listeners across the world. Produced once again by Dominique A, Francois Breut has also enlisted many of France's most illustrious indiepoppers, including folks such as Phillipe Katarine and members of Autour de Lucie. The result is a lighter-sounding album which sheds the murky, mystical gravity of her earlier Tom Waits-y leanings in favor of a muted, slightly xylophonic orchestral pop, ala Tindersticks. Although not as immediately spooky as her first album, this is still powerful and poetic, and will hopefully will draw even more listeners into her orbit. Also highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

Une Saison Volee
Francoiz Breut
Manufacturer: La Tribu Canada
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000AAIXE0
Release Date: 2006-07-11

Tracks:

(Intro)
Certitude
Over All
Ravin
Vie Devant Soi
Tambours
Ultimo
KM 83
Sur le Balcon
Ville AllongSur le Dos
Bo de Nuit
Please Be Angry
Ciudad del Mar
Premier Bonheur du Jour
Contourne-Moi

Album Description

Limited edition version of 'Une Saison Volee' which means 'One Stolen Season'. Comes in a beautiful digipak with a bonus booklet. Following in the fine downbeat Gallic pop tradition laid down by Sergé Gainsbourg, Françoise Hardy & France Gall, Warner releases Françoiz Breut's her third album, Une Sason Volee. Brought up in Cherbourg, Françoiz's early musical influences were gleaned from her sister's vast vinyl collection & some late nights in bed with John Peel (c'mon, the radio show!) After leaving school, she started singing in a cover band doing versions of The Kinks & X-Ray Spex. During this time she met & fell in love with Dominique A. (now a huge star in France). She accompanied him on stage for 3 years & sang backing vocals on his album 'Twenty-Two Bar'. Then towards the end of 1996 she realised she wanted to do something for herself. Working with Dominique, this sad elegant music slowly begun to evolve. There's a subtle feminine edge to her songs; and with the cool brushes of Sacha Toorop evoking a 50's jazz feel & the Hammond organ & slide guitar of Dominique A., a poignant canvas for Françoiz's captivating vocals is formed. Think Nico's 'Chelsea Girl' and Lee Hazelwood's 'Requiem For An Almost Lady.' Warner. 2005.