Julie et Joe

Julie et Joe are Julie Big - her of the gorgeous vocals on Le Superhomard's "Meadow Park Lane" - and Joe Moore - singer-songwriter-producer and the man behind both The Yearning and Perfect Kiss (not to mention his work with - sighs - Lia Pamina) - whose album "Marelle" is ostensibly a homage to the bright and bubbly synth and techno-pop music of La Belle France of the eighties, but which, and I suspect due to the chameleonesque nature of Joe Moore - a man who has been described as being a one-man Brill Building - also casts an eye to the other side of La Manche, as well as borrowing from the styles and sounds of French Pop from les années soixante…

To be honest though, 80s French synth and techno-pop are not exactly genres or an era of which I'm that familiar with - notable exceptions being (of course) Etienne Daho and Rennes' finest, Niagara (who sound actually morphed from synth-pop to that of fully fledged indie / alternative) and whose debut album "Encore un dernier baiser" has certainly stood the test of time. As has a certain L'Ange Rouge who in 1986 released her debut album "Cendres de Lune". However, checking the album's press release, there were an awful lot of artists whom - save Marie Möör and the Avant-garde sound of Rose et Noire and The Other Colors - I knew very little about. All of which means - Dear Reader - I've listened to a lot of music these past couple of weeks…

The opening track, "Single (Game Over)" is a glorious blast of retro synth-pop, setting the tone of the album. It's bright, bubbly - swirling synths, popping beats - a joyous indie-pop song that would be equally at home with the cool kids of London as much as Paris. If Daniel Miller had injected some streetwise credibility into the output Stock Aitken Waterman and PWL the end result would have probably have sounded a bit like this… And then there's Julie's harmonious vocals. Has teen angst ever sounded so upbeat?

Lead single "Le Midi" oozes cool continental chic as Julie sings about escaping Paris via the Autoroute de Soleil for the sun, sea and glamour of the South of France - Le Midi of the song's title. It's also our first introduction to those scintillating metronomic Casio pop rhythms which when combined with that staccato 8-bit video game sound on "Baskets Fluorescentes" will lead your feet to quickly start tapping in unison - even if you don't own a pair of fluorescent trainers - Both are totally infectious. The latter especially offers more than a hint of the glittering eighties synth pop of Elli et Jacno - Denis Quilliard and Elli Medeiros - whom I would have said are probably better known outside of the Francophone world as members of French proto-punk band Stinky Toys, until Wikipedia informed me that the duo had featured in an edition of Melody Maker - probably from aroud the same time that Mute Records were doing something similar with the Silicon Teens who had some sucess with a series of tongue-in-cheek covers which included "Memphis Tennessee" and "Let's Dance".

Instrumentals "La Séquence" and the album's closer "Polygone" are joyful intermissions (the latter especially when this album is on repeat) and both appear to have been influenced by the 8-bit techno-pop of Jacno. Both are ridiculously hypnotic. Meanwhile "Polygone" is further enlivened by some very Kraftwerk-infused synth chords and flourishes - that's if Ralf and Florian had decided bubbly techno-pop was going to be their pathway to success…

The second single - and title track - of the album features opening bars appropriated from Depeche Mode's "People Are People" and yes, "Marelle" is another song which would probably resonate with the cool kids of Albion, featuring undercurrents from both the Basildon boys and a nod to New Order's - and Gillian Gilbert's - poppier side. It's a song that is filled with delicate and thoughtful flourishes, especially where Julie's vocals float above those rich, majestic synths. However, there's a chorus that ear-worms deep inside your skull and which is married to a beat that's guaranteed to fill the dance-floor…

"Viens Chéri" and "Arcade" revisit that bright and bubbly Casio-inspired techno-pop. The former is filled with oh-so seductive lyrics and a glint in Julie's eyes - there's more than a hint of Lio here, while the latter builds upon the style and themes of "Marelle", and another song filled with gorgeous melodies and a lilting and memorable chorus.

"Marelle" is an album that does what it says on the tin - a tribute to techno-pop à la mode française of the early eighties - even down to the influences from across the channel and beyond. Then there's those vocal stylisations of Julie Big, adding a nostalgic air of les années soixante. As Brooklyn Vegan was moved to write - "…These songs bounce playfully with chipper keyboards, and melodies that with different arrangements could've been yé-yé songs for France Gall, but here are shiny and bright with Julie's very appealing voice. If you like Vince Clarke era Depeche Mode or Silicon Teens or music from old NES games but wished it was all in French, have I got a record for you..."

Not going to argue with that...

Julie et Joe "Marelle" (Bandcamp)