LISTEN: Major Dolby

Major Dolby - "Marcello, come here!"


Remember the ‘60s? I know I sure don’t, but that’s because I wasn’t born until years later. And while I might not have been a resident of those years of change and evolution, I can say with certainty that Major Dolby would have fit right into the musical landscape of the era. With surf rock guitar leads and psych’s hypnotic mystique, this French duo plays instrumental music that is too authentically old school to be considered an emulation or tribute to the past.

Garage and psych generally possess a particularly rough edge to their respective sounds – not sloppy so much as loose and excited in presentation. Major Dolby are not at all rigid, but they do manage a smoother, snappier, and more fine-tuned style that exudes a level of casual cool that charismatic folks like James Bond usually project. What’s more, they add layers of brass instrumentation that liven up their sound and only strengthen their brand of stylized, instrumental ‘60s surf-meets-French pop-meets-psych music.

"Marcello, come here!" is from Major Dolby's new four-track EP, out now on French label Kizmiaz.

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LISTEN: La Femme - "Sur La Planche"

MP3: La Femme - "Sur La Planche"

There are certain points in the night when everything is still and quiet, but everything inside of you is not. When you're all alone in the dead of night, it's hard not to find yourself tearing through all sorts of thoughts and memories. It's times like these when sleep is constantly escaping, leaving you to wrestle with a certain anxiousness that makes it hard to meet sleep. In the night, sometimes all you can do is race with your thoughts and enjoy the ride.

La Femme is rather mysterious -- ok, mainly because an initial search on Google yields nothing about the band. "Sur La Planche" only adds to the mystery, working some of that reverb-drenched '60s psych garage rock magic. It's more upbeat and straightforward than trippy, running on a frantic drum beat and bass riff that are almost manic in their pace. Imagine lo-fi surf swirling around in the hypnotic waves of psych and you've found the heart of the song.

Tahiti 80 Releasing New Album, New EP Out Now, Hear New Song

Oh, those Frenchmen. First there was Daft Punk and Air, and, most recently, there was Phoenix. One French band -- one you may be less familiar with -- that holds its own against these other groups is Tahiti 80, who've actually been around for as long as Daft Punk (i.e. 1993) meaning they've actually been together longer than both Air and Phoenix. The band is set to release its fifth LP, The Past, The Present & The Possible, on February 22, 2011, and they just released their ninth (!) EP yesterday entitled Solitary Bizness (oh, Tahiti 80). Check out new song "Keys To The City" below.

MP3: Tahiti 80 - "Keys To The City"

Electropop at its best. It's sleek, but not devoid of organic elements. The sugary sweet melody shines like the summer sun, wrapped inside a wrapper of cool synthesizers. It's the shimmer of that melody that gets you hooked.

LISTEN: France's We Only Said

By Laurent Guizard

We Only Said - "Our Monochrome Life"


We Only Said - "Cheerful Girl"


We Only Said - "I Discover the Murder"


Sometimes, the true mark of a great songwriter is how the person approaches the music by paying careful consideration to tempo, volume, and tone – a soft swell here, a heavy kick drum hit there, and a cycling guitar riff pure in tone right here. It’s almost a science when it comes down to it for how delicately it all comes together. It’s something truly awe-inspiring when the collage of sounds surrounds you as it mixes together, forming something full of mood and texture.

We Only Said work in such a way. Their music possesses a melancholic beauty that twists and turns, rises and falls. With rhythmic shifts and guitars working with and against one another, the music is full of tension and release. It’s post-rock meets math rock, full of intricacies and well-arranged layers. From a quiet night to a stormy sky, We Only Said are thoughtful to how the little things, like a short pause or minor chord, can drastically change the music. They are a band that rewards the careful listener with their careful attention to detail. It calls to mind Denali, Engine Down, and Mogwai, striking and resilient with an understated confidence.

We Only Said is a project lead by Florian Marzano, guitarist in the 8-guitar ensemble of Olivier Mellano’s Pink Iced Club as well as the band Trunks, alongside Laetitia Shériff. The band is based out of Rennes, France.

BUY: "Our Monochrome Life," "Cheerful Girl," and "I Discover the Murder" are from We Only Said's new self-titled album, which was recorded by Erik Orthuon at Dynavolt Studio and mastered by Bob Weston (Shellac). Get the album here.

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LISTEN: Francois Peglau

Francois Peglau - "One minute to midnight dream (So sad)"


Time disappears with a quick snap of the fingers -- just like a magic trick. With your head in the clouds, you tend to miss a lot of what happens down in reality. You can't let yourself get carried away by what you think, neglecting that which you already know. The trouble often lies in looking for something rather than at something, failing to ever recognize that what you're looking for is right in front of you. While seconds are buried left and right, you become dependent on a hope for something that might not even exist. It's so sad to consider the possibility that what you're looking for has already passed by you. One day, you'll wake up and realize that securing your hope to a dream -- to a future unknown -- has left you with an empty feeling. Don't ignore the future, but don't let it become your obsession.

In the hands of Francois Peglau, sadness sounds rather upbeat. Peglau plays with a jangly '60s pop sound that crosses The Clientele and Belle & Sebastian. "One minute to midnight dream (So sad)" is a lo-fi garage rock/Group Sounds/twee pop song that's rather like a post-it note from the future reminding you to not let time, or any one person, make you out to be a fool.

"One minute to midnight dream (So sad)" is from Peglau's latest release which you can hear and download after the jump.