Tag: Bleu Reine

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Bleu Rheine Presente La Compil’ de Noël #5

A black cover, with Compil de Noel #5 written in hot pink

Bleu Rheine
Buy: Bandcamp

I worked nearly two days in one day today, and today/tomorrow is likely the biggest release day of the year for Christmas bloggers. I’m going to do my best to feature my favorites, maybe even throw in a new find or two.

Bleu Rheine are back, making magic happen as usual. Those who can count (humble brag) have noticed that Bleu Rheine Presente La Compil’ de Noël #5 is indeed their fifth wonderful compilation of covers. Not all the songs will be Christmas songs, but let’s get busy with those Christmas tunes!

First out of the gate is Vivienne, who provides us with the obligatory “Last Christmas” cover. It’s quite a challenge to tackle a song that everyone covers, and Vivienne does it well. Her voice is lovely, and the instrumentation has me thinking this could be considered for an elusive “Dream Pop” or perhaps “Sad Girl” Christmas mix. Depending on how many covers of this you have heard so far, this may just be the version you’ve been looking for.

Now… the next track… Paris’ Princesse Gilbert busted out a cover of Pedro the Lion’s “Yellow Bike!” I mean… I admit to being a fan of “Last Christmas,” despite the overwhelming number of covers, but would I rather have choices like this? Absolutely. Princesse Gilbert does a great job, stripping back the sound and chilling it out. Truly a wonderful surprise, and a feeling I’m going to cling to for the rest of this season. Give me more choices like this.

The Smiruldes, whom I cannot seem to find any info on, provide a lovely cover of Les Classels’ “Le Sentier de neige.” If you recall, I’ve already written about Klô Pelgag’s beautiful version, and this one shares some similar DNA. They are both quiet, thoughtful, and beautiful, though The Smiruldes play their guitar, and Klô Pelgag her piano. Either way you go, you can’t go wrong – this is gorgeous.

I’m going to talk about the Diane track, though it isn’t necessarily a Christmas song… it is really more like a Jesus song – hence the title “Jésus Christ.” It is one of the more delightful songs about Jesus I’ve heard, as it is incredibly short (bonus) and finishes with the repeated line – translated to English for you: “I wonder if Jesus was funny.” This’ll sneak onto a mix or two, I’m sure.

Sure seems folks are trying to make Elliott Smith’s “Angel in the Snow” a modern indie Christmas staple, kind of like the Fleet Foxes’ “White Winter Hymnal” or something of the sort. Of note, the Fleet Foxes also covered “Angel in the Snow” this year for the Oh. What. Fun. soundtrack. But I digress… Neon Bay really put their mark on this one. It really doesn’t feel like the Elliott Smith song, which I give them credit for. They roughed it up, and I liked that a whole lot. And the stripped back ending.. phenomenal.

Yet again, Bleu Rheine delivers us some fantastic French indie Christmas covers, and as long as they are putting in the effort to put these records out, I’ll be here for them. Even when I’m quite tired, they help me find the spirit.

Bottom Line: There may only be a few Christmas tunes, but I’ll bet you’ll like the normal covers too. Let’s support Bleu Rheine and keep these coming! And hey – it benefits Association MaMaMa, which helps single and isolated mothers!

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Bleu Reine presente La Compil’ de No​ë​l #4 (2024)

Bleu Reine
Buy: Bandcamp

Sometimes I get concerned that this site just ends up writing about the same folks over and over again. I suppose there are two ways to look at this – 1. I am lazy and 2. These folks know their shit and do it well. Bleu Reine are #2, and definitely know their shit as they have compiled yet another superb Christmas compilation. (I hereby grant permission for folks to clean up my language if they wish to use a quote as a “blurb.”) The fourth edition is yet again a mix of French bands covering both holiday and non-holiday songs… but you know which category I am most interested in. So… let’s dive into these absolutely killer Christmas songs.

The first, and perhaps the most surprising highlight of a truly stellar record is Summer Camp Girlfriend covering the Pogues “Fairytale of New York.” Who needs another cover of this song… apparently me! This dream pop treatment may just have enough sustain on the guitar pedals to fit on my imaginary shoegaze Christmas mix. Their musical choices feel fresh and exciting… and they don’t use the F word! This thing sounds like no other version I have heard to date – give them a follow wherever you hang (hopefully not Twitter – F* ELON).

Skip down to the middle of the record, and you find yourself with an excellent cover of “You’re a Mean One, Mr Grinch,” by Norma. There isn’t much to the simple orchestration, but Norma does a LOT with a little. She doesn’t throw a bunch of musical color to fill up the space but chooses to add a color or two along the way to the strolling guitar lines that propel the song. Norma does four verses of the original six – and hey – I do appreciate a radio edit! Quicker the better when it comes to Christmas songs… this one was a pleasant surprise.

The fuzzy wall of sound that is Rennes, France’s Eeyora’s “Snowman (The Sleepwalk)” may or may not be a cover – I truly have no idea. However, what I encountered will terrify many folks on first listen… a sonic approach that would have been like seeing space aliens to the early rock n’ roll pioneers. But dammit if it hasn’t grown on me. The seesaw between abrasion and sweetness works wonderfully. I’m way out of my comfort zone, but I’m here for it.

Finally, let’s take a look at the Bleu Reine and their inspired cover of the Love, Actually classic, “Christmas is All Around.” The song is meant to be silly in the movie, and yes, the song is silly in reality. However, Bleu Reine has managed to make it feel damn sexy dressed up in some electro/dream-pop clothes. This thing is fucking cool! How did they do that?!

Hey! I missed some of the Christmas songs! THAT is because they were in French! Sometimes I have the balls to talk about songs in another language, and sometimes I don’t. Today is a don’t! Why do I use exclamation marks with reckless abandon when I review THIS specific compilation? I DON’T KNOW!!!!

Bottom Line: Some stone-cold mixworthy songs on this comp – and it raises money for La Croix Rouge Française / French Red Cross!

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Bleu Reine presente La Compile de Noel 3 (2023)

Bleu Reine
Buy: Bandcamp

The French band Bleu Reine has released some of the best holiday comps of the past few years, while not necessarily always releasing strictly holiday compilations. The first year (2021) is choc-full of Christmas and seasonal tunes. Last year’s release has one(?) song that might be considered seasonal song, a cover of “Holidays” by Poinareff. This year reflects last year’s more than the debut, with two songs (I believe…) lining up as Christmas-mix contenders. Now, you might be wondering, why did I just say they put out some of the best holiday comps? These really aren’t holiday records… true, but the other music is good. They are enjoyable, whether they are holiday songs or not – you’ll find some great covers of Radiohead, Mark Lanegan, Phoebe Bridgers, Wings, Haddaway (ha!), Waaves, The Beatles, etc. So… they are still worth your time!

NOW to the Christmasish songs. The Marinas contribute a very pretty, lo-fi cover of Low’s all-time classic “Just Like Christmas.” (I wish I could find out more about this band – Google is not being very helpful.) There is a warble to this song that begins with the vocals, only to be accentuated by the theremin (?) that I hear in the background. Somehow, The Marinas have managed to construct a version unlike any I’ve heard before, and as this song is the alternative-Christmas gateway drug… I’m always here for a new fix.

The other song that I *believe* to be Christmas-adjacent is the track by Cecilia, “Décembre,” which is an Alex Montembault cover. I did my best (well, a solid try) to find the lyrics to get an idea of what the song is about… but alas… I failed. If can’t speak French, but I can most certainly enjoy the music! Fuzzy guitars! Catchy chorus! So I do! And so might you! Exclamation mark!

Bottom Line: Just a few holiday songs amongst some other great covers… I’ll take it!

LISTEN