Elle Macho - Import

"Elle Macho is the most powerful band of noise in the world today. Combining elements of the melody, aggression and sexiness, they triumphs each time and gains the multiple contests throughout the world."

Beginning your press release with the above quote, citing your genres as:
Indie/French Pop/Very Rock and including Serge Gainsbourg and Gilgamesh in your list of influences are all very brave (some would say bizarre) moves to make. The great thing about Import, though, is that Elle Macho somehow manages to deliver on each and every of their lofty claims and promises about their own greatness. The band consists of Butterfly Boucher, David Mead and Lindsay Jamieson. Butterfly's previous solo record was something of a hit with me. Here, the melodic nous of that album is augmented with a solid slab of attitude and aggression. Boucher is joined by the creative guitar of David Mead, and by Ben Folds alumni Lindsay Jamieson on drums. Jamieson also twirled the sticks for the much-feted (by me at least) Astronaut Pushers back in the day, so this is a Nashvillian supergroup of sorts.

What we have here is a collection of 10 flat-out great songs. Allez La Danse and This Is Not a Love Song stick out on first listen, but over time, each and every song has sunk into my psyche and forced its way out in the form of humming, air drumming, jiving (I do jive, but only privately) to the stops, starts and twitches, and generally marvelling at the balance between intelligent, pop songwriting, and creativity in structuring and progression. There isn't a song here you won't tap your feet to. Fact. There isn't a song here which is lacking a nifty twist in the rhythm section (Glow in the Dark), or a tag section which goes somewhere unexpected (Conquistador). At the same time, however, these are the kind of pop songs that should be invading your radio, interrupting your restaurant dinner because you have to work out the drum pattern with spoons, and leading you to make it your life's ambition to see the band in a small, sweaty room. 

If we lived in a fair world, Elle Macho would be huge. Make it happen

Butterfly Boucher - Self-Titled

A few weeks ago, I posted the video for the brilliant single, 5,6,7,8 from Butterfly Boucher. As a calling card to her new, self-titled record, it was perfect. Memorable, catchy as all get-out, inventive, small, but perfectly formed. All of these comments can, I think, be readily applied to the new record.

Butterfly Boucher is a precocious talent. Falling somewhere between electro-pop and the more creative end of the singer-songwriter pantheon, this ten track album showcases Butterfly's emotive and expressive vocal to the fullest extent of any of her output so far. What's more, every song here could follow 5,6,7,8 as a single. For instance, Fooling Around is propelled along by a strong beat, some ethereal synths, and the kind of chorus that you can fall instantly in love with, and yet find yourself growing to appreciate more and more as time passes by.

The fact that this song is followed immediately by the more restrained, but no-less radio-ready Warning Bell is indicative of the quality at play here. The writing and production here is first rate. We live in an era of *the song*, rather than *the album* these days, and Butterfly and her co-producer Jamie Kenney have worked wonderfully here to craft a collection of songs which both vindicate A&M's decision to sign her in 2003, and call in to question why she has yet to taste the kind of national and international acclaim her prodigious talent deserves.

Coming across as a labour of love, meticulously pieced together, yet playful enough to be enjoyed as a "pop" record, this is a rare kind of album. It is the kind that works on multiple levels, suits many different moods yet, at it's core, maintains an artistic integrity which is pleasing on the ear and heart. My favourite track here is probably the jangling "Unashamed Desire" with it's winning combination of kitchen sink production and a confrontational lyric. I'd be shocked if this song doesn't do the business for Butterfly at radio in the months to come, but either way, this is a cracking track which fully showcases all that is best about an exciting new discovery.

Get this record and devour it. You won't be disappointed.

Butterfly Boucher

Butterfly Boucher is an exciting indie pop artist, with a new, self-titled album out this week. I haven't heard the record yet, but if the tracks on the recently released free download album "The Evolution" are anything to go by, it's sure to be a treat and a delight. You can watch the video for her current single, 5,6,7,8 below.

I would urge you to check out the new record, on the basis of this song alone. If you need more convincing, head to Noisetrade and pick up The Evolution now!