Despite all the evidence to the contrary on this blog, I still can't help but think of most French music as being some mild updating of the cabaret sound. For all the songs by BB Brunes, Naast, or Les Shades that I play, I can't help but be reminded of songs by Les Negresses Vertes, Paris Combo, and Caravan Palace. Now don't get me wrong, I
love that second group of bands as much as I love the first. But they always strike me as being excessively self-consciously and defensively French.
So I get excited when I hear a French band that blows that self-reinforcing French music cliche out of the water. Superbus is one of those bands. Granted, this is an older song. But sweet Jehovah, these guys can rock in a way that transcends culture! It is hard to argue against a song like
Tiens le Fil when the drums start pounding, the guitars start screaming, and the bass starts throbbing.
