Fluxious - Why so Serious?

Indeed

How many famous bands have come out of Switzerland? I think for most people, however knowledgeable, the answer's range would be limited by the number of fingers on (maybe) both hands. My aim with this post, therefore, is to try to get a great new Swiss band noticed, and this week my pick falls on Fluxious, an outstanding female-fronted ensemble with conspicuously eclectic approach to making fun music.

Why so Serious? is something you won't here every day. Fluxious seamlessly combine heavy distorted riffs with funky, jazzy, reggae grooves, avantgarde craziness and progressive technicalities, and manage to produce simply rocking unpretentious music with catchy soloing, guitar licks, and memorable vocal lines. The result here is something that will satisfy both those who look for something original and experimental and will not throw off those who simply want to enjoy the music and don't care for complexity.

This album is heavy and light at the same time, practically every second of it, partly because of the omnipresent audible bass, which compensates for the parts where the guitars are not heavy, partly because of the drumming, which is generally very easy-going. The vocals are clean but generally have a harsher edge to them, but capable of conveying a wide range of emotions.

In the end, Why so Serious? is an album to have fun to. One might have to get accustomed to the heavy, bass-dominated sound, but it should not take too long to discover all the great hooks that Fluxious discharge either through vocals (the chorus of "Voodoo Mood"), guitars (great hooks on pretty much every song) or bass (the slap bass on "Games'n'Trials" and the chorus on "Unfair to You"). They deliver on every front.

Make sure to check these cats out, who are for me one of the most enjoyable discoveries this year.

ZAZ - ZAZ

Fragile and Strong (dedicated to my lovely fiancée, who introduced me to ZAZ)

French chanson anyone? Unexpectedly, me got a little hooked on some of that.

First time I heard of ZAZ was through this video sometime last summer: impressive performance and a great song even if you don't understand the sincere lyrics with truly existential connotations.

Later, I decided to give ZAZ more attention by listening to her self-titled debut. So how did that sound? Not too impressive after a couple of spins, and I did not really see any room for growing on me. Time went by though, and in autumn I found myself enjoying this CD quite a lot.

I do not have much experience with pop music, but I guess I am capable of perceiving and evaluating it. So what caught my attention with ZAZ? First, the voice. Isabelle Geffroy can sing: she can be emotional ("Trop sensible," "Port coton," "Éblouie par la nuit"), she can have fun (the crazy galloping "Ni oui ni non," one of my personal favorites), she can be serious ("Le long de la route,") or... in love ("J'aime a nouveau"). There is a lot of sincerity in her slightly husky voice and lyrics (which are worth reading by the way). Inside the fragile girl lurks explosive charisma and vocal cords capable of serious soul impact... Listen to "Éblouie par la nuit" or ZAZ's (superior in my opinion) rendition of Édith Piaf's "Dans ma rue" and feel for yourself.

Now to the music, and that's something usually more important to me than vocals. What we hear on ZAZ's debut can be described as chanson with some jazz elements. While I am used to heavy and/or complex metal riffs, here I encountered something really different: acoustic guitars, the upright bass, and the piano at the core plus occasional atmospheric keyboards, trombone and other brass instruments (on "Prends garde a ta langue" and "La fée"), and the violin. A big fat plus is that the music is not there just to accompany the singer; there are some great guitar and bass licks as well as active participation from other instruments (check out the guitar-violin duel in the second half of "Ni oui ni non"). Granted, there are simpler songs featuring just the guitar or the piano, but what makes the music generally enjoyable, after all, is that each instrument, where present, makes a meaningful contribution to the song's sound, and the interplay between the musicians results in rich harmony and simply enjoyable tunes.

Nothing to add: listen, have fun, and be happy! Always!