The French can’t really do too much wrong. From croissants to wine to iconic tourist attractions, they’re all class. Stylish and sleek, they’ve given us Chanel and Dior. Musically savvy to boot, they’ve produced Phoenix, Daft Punk, classics like Edith Piaf and, of course, Serge and Charlotte Gainsbourg. It would be easy to go on. But Yelle’s music speaks for itself.
Despite producing music exclusively in French, Yelle have received attention from the likes of Katy Perry and Robyn, who have both asked them to remix or re-write their songs in French. They hit the big time in 2005 with a MySpace goldmine, Je Veux Te Voir, which got picked up by Ministry Of Sound for their Mashed #3 compilation.
Safari Disco Club is their sophomore LP, offering up bubblegum pop, edgy electro and very, very danceable hits. It’s all in French of course, and unless you speak the language it may be difficult to sing along. But synth bursts, dance beats and sweetly feminine layers of vocals are enough to concentrate on without needing to scale the language barrier.
Title track Safari Disco Club is a quirky opener with hints of Bjork, Camille and Architecture In Helsinki. African-inspired percussion is periodically overlaid with a heavily electronic ripple of club-like music before returning to its own peculiar beat. The following Que Vuex-Tu is more sassy pop than electro, but C’est Pas Une Vie is again sonically eccentric. Bursts of vocals are mixed with a simple rhythm of claps that accentuates the lyrics.
Comme Un Enfant takes very much the same tack as Je Veux Te Voir as Yelle return to what they know and have been playing for years – dance pop. Similarly, La Musique is something to definitely dance to, but it’s darker and sexier than other tracks on the album. Finally, S’eteint Le Soleil rounds out the album with radiating synths, DIY percussion and girly vocals. It’s less of a party track but does eventually build into a summery mash of electronica.
Yelle are one group to keep an eye on as they grow from local French music makers to international electropopsters.
Best Track: J’ai Bu, La Musique
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: GROOVE ARMADA, ROBYN, and ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI
In A Word: Oui oui
