Track Listing

1. Pardon - The Hang-Ups
2. L'anamour - Ivy
3. La Poupee Qui Fait Non - Luna
4. Jeanne - Air ft. Francoise Hardy
5. Avril En Mai - The Apples In Stereo
6. Si Tu Dois Partir - Lloyd Cole & His Negatives
7. Nous Ne Somme Pas De Anges - Heavenly
8. Contact - Godzuki
9. Je Suis Venu Te Dire Que Je M'en Vais - John Wesley Harding
10. Zoooom! - Sukia
11. Le Tourbillion - Magnetic Fields
12. Puis-Je? - The Ladybug Transistor ft. Kevin Ayers

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #189754 in Music
• Released on: 1999-02-23
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
Collection of new recordings from sophisticated pop artists singing and performing French pop classics, including Ivy, Air with Francoise Hardy, Lloyd Cole, Heavenly, John Wesley Harding, Magnetic Fields and The Apples In Stereo. 12 tracks total. 1999 release.

Amazon.com
If the notion of indie intelligentsia expounding en français doesn't prompt your gag response, you'll find Pop Romantique a tasty fluff piece. Tunes with true French flavor work best: each note of "L'anamour," written by 1960s icon Serge Gainsbourg (who's covered four times here), is delivered with a no-tongue kiss from Ivy's front-femme, Dominique Durand; meanwhile, Air's delicate guitar suits famed countrywoman and guest vocalist Françoise Hardy--her tones are languid, luxe, and spent as vintage silk. Several unamphibian activities sound swell: Apples in Stereo apply their tweaked, fuzzy signature; Godzuki burble dark as a champagne-absinthe cocktail; and Luna seem positively jaunty. As for faux pas, John Wesley Harding's heart's in the right place (oozing appropriate melancholy, his outro a series of sighs), but he struggles with the accent, as does Lloyd Cole, who has the gall to go Gaul with Bob Dylan. In sum: a pleasant Valentine's spin for kitschy couples.--Nina Malkin

Customer Reviews

BRAVO DOMINIQUE DURAND
THE SYNERGY OF COMBINING THE VOICES OF IVY AND FRANCOISE HARDY IS A REFRESHING REINTERPRETATION OF CLASSIC FRENCH SONG.

Great Selection of Indie-Pop Band Covering French Classics
Like Pop American Style, this compilation is a theme comp drawing from a broad roster of indie-pop bands, plus it includes the vocals of ye-ye pop legend Françoise Hardy on one of the tracks. What is great is the same hand (Skippy McFadden) that picked the songs for the Pop American Style comp also picked the songs for this CD.

Some of my favorites are Ivy doing "L'anamour," (previously performed by Françoise Hardy) Heavenly doing the "Nous ne sommes pas des anges" (previously performed by France Gall) and the Apples in Stereo doing "Avril en Mai." I'm not sure what "Zoom!" is doing on this comp, as it seems out of place. The theme is centered around 1960's French Pop, or Ye-ye as it is called. If you like Françoise Hardy, France Gall, Serge Gainsbourg, and 60's French Pop, you'll like this album.

QUELLE SURPRISE!
When you can have John Wesley Harding sing Serge Gainsbourg's "Je Suis Venu Te Dire Que Je M'En Vais" why do you need anything else? Okay, JW Harding's version is still not Gainsbourg's (which cannot be imitated or surpassed). But this clever arrangement of songs by contemporary artists performing French pop standards is a classic in itself. Air (French band) team with classic French pop star Francoise Hardy to provide a lovely version of "Jeanne". Probably my favourite track here, apart from John Wesley Harding, is Ivy's rendition of "L'anamour". One of my favourite songs anyhow, and Ivy has a very pleasant sound. There were other surprises... like Luna, Magnetic Fields, and other things. I think, if you enjoy, French pop-or any of the bands on the album-this is a must have. An updated, modern version (tribute, even) to the standards of French romantic pop. It was a great treat for me, at least.