Esclave du tee-shirt pop, accro aux bijoux hip-hop

All right, as promised, something truly poppy; it's fun, fast, and danceable. French pop singer Lorie, if Wikipedia can be believed, beat Lily Allen and the Arctic Monkeys to the punch; in the early 2000's, it was Internet buzz about her song "Près de moi"--which originally no record company had expressed interest in, leading her producer to decide to release it for free on the Internet--that first brought her to fame and allowed her to get a record deal. She's released four albums of original material so far, as well as three live albums and a greatest hits. She also has about a million fan sites all over the Internet, from what I can tell. As for her music, from what I've heard (which isn't that much), it's pretty much straight-up catchy pop or dance-pop, though that may be less true recently. I love the description for her most recent album, Rester la même, that her record label put on Amazon: "2005 Fourth Album from the French Singer Showcases her Transformation from Pop Tart to Serious Recording Artist. It's a Radical Musical Evolution from One of the Biggest Youth Pop Icons Into the Scene of Rebellion a La Bob Dylan with Serious Lyrical Invention and Social Commentary" (capitalization is all theirs). Now, not that pop can't include serious commentary, but seriously? You're going to use Bob Dylan as your point of comparison? Wouldn't it have been a good idea to find some recording icon that at least sounded a little like Lorie? Or did I just miss out on Bob Dylan's epic dance-pop stage? Anyhow, however they want to dress it up, she's got some really fun songs on the album.

Fashion Victim--the fourth and most recent single from Rester la même, "Fashion Victim" (which is in French) is also being used to promote the DVD and album of her most recent tour. "Fashion Victim" is pretty much as pure pop as you're going to get, though I guess you could say it's a bit electro-pop. It's got a super-catchy fun chorus, complete with "oooo"s, and, though I think the song might benefit from the single edit (presuming there is one), it's still far from boring. It's also got a middle section that, though it slows down the song, feels like it was designed to be a dance break, which I can't really argue with. Still, though the break works (and I like it), it's a relief when the song returns to its fun and faster side. As for the lyrics, I think they're a commentary on society's (and individuals') image obession, though, since I don't speak French, I can't comment on how well it's done. Still, this seems to be the way forward with social commentary songs--make them as brilliant catchy pop songs, and the kids'll learn without even noticing it! Or, if nothing else, it'll give you a good excuse for some interesting costumes when you go on tour.

To buy Lorie's album Rester la même, go here (physical) or here (digital).

Next up: maybe an American album I keep meaning to write about, or another French song.