Sometimes you can come across an artist just because you saw a name that stood out.  Claude VonStroke had a good ring to it and it turns out his music does too! I feel like I could listen to “Monster Island”, the lead track of his new album Bird Brain, for hours on end and still be completely baffled by how good every glitch, kick, and horn sounds. While described as minimal, VonStroke’s music extends farther than the simple addition of its sounds to become an original universe where being spooked out and wanting to dance can happen at the same time. Enjoy!

Claude VonStroke – Monster Island

“To lose my life”, the first album by British outfit White Lies has proven to be very divisive among critics. While some have praised the band’s dark sound, huge riffs, and bewitching choruses as the newest sensation in Pop Rock, others have felt that the type of music they are doing has been mastered by the likes of Interpol with better compositions and especially…better lyrics.  Personally, despite clunky phrasing, songs like Death (with lyrics like “Could there be love beneath these wings?”) or Farewell To The Fairground are just irresistibly disarming. Especially when you see them performed live as I did last night in the Elysee Montmarte of Paris.

Suddenly, the hype that’s been built around these guys, in Europe at least, makes complete sense. Their show is tightly put together and they never sound even a little bit off. I don’t know if it’s the plain black clothes, the carefully chosen lighting effects, or lead singer Harry McVeigh’s baritone and his carefully choreographed gestures but White Lies just ooze with charisma from the moment they set foot on stage. Their performance of “To lose my life” on Letterman might look corny (with the whole “it’s raining rose petals” thing) but in the end it has the right effect. The impression of a torrential outpour of emotions.

Now whether or not White Lies are genuine about their dark sentimentality or are just putting up an act can be debated. But Anthony Gonzales of M83, an expert in portraying the music of teenage angst, remixed “Nothing to Give” into a 6 minute epic track that might convince you (as it did me) that White Lies truly believe what they say.

White Lies – Nothing to Give (M83 Remix)

White Lies – Death

White Lies – Farewell To The Fairground

A new artist you (maybe) haven’t heard about. Melissa Laveaux is a charming young lady with a very interesting back story and even more interesting music. Born in Montreal of Haitian parents, bred in Ottawa where she went to college and currently living in Paris, she blends folk music, Creole blues, and an amazingly entrancing voice in her album “Camphor and Copper” to produce a record of complex and subtle purity. Joy! I dare say.

Singing in English, French and Creole with a voice so warm you’ll feel like Ottawa is the capital of Barbados, Melissa brings us to places that feel both comfortably familiar and excitingly novel. She never goes for the easy guitar strum but rather for the more intricate guitar pick and keeps the listener yearning for more. This combination of three languages might be a barrier for some but actually adds more layers of authenticity. Even if you don’t understand it, the Creole songs are always a throwback to days of childlike innocence and optimism whereas the French and English songs tend to deal with more adult issues such as heartbreak or disillusionment. By communicating about her childhood in the way that she experienced it in her family household (i.e: in Creole), Ms. Laveaux manages to communicate a truly authentic emotion.

So check it out: a great cover of Beyonce’s “Crazy in love”, the soulful “My Boat” and “Ulysses” where she drops names of Greek poets before telling her “lukewarm lover” she wants to “break his knees”. Also, Camphor and Copper just got a digital re-release with bonus tracks available all over the world. Suffice it to say that the best way to reach out to others is to be yourself.

Melissa Laveaux – Crazy in love

Melissa Laveaux – My boat

Melissa Laveaux – Ulysses