European Power Pop Special: Trois

European Pop Special 3: Okay I did some further digging in Europe for power pop, and we have a pair of artists from France and one from Leon, Spain.

Brigitte “Et vous, tu m’aimes?”
This hot duo drip with exotic coolness on the opening track “Battez Vous,” and their debut album went platinum in France. Named after 60’s French actress Brigitte Bardot, they are lounge-pop revivalists with great talent and style. Fans of the recent Corner Laughers album will really dig “Corur de Chewing Gum” – it will have you singing along in French! A lot of the tunes are slow pop ballads, but the standouts are the bouncy title track and disco-styled “Oh La La.”

BB Brunes “Nico Teen Love”
French pop-punk trio BB Brunes features members who have known each other since they were kids. In 2005, a demo recording caught the ears of an indie producer and they’ve been at it ever since. They remind me of The Monkees if they had gone garage punk. The hard riffs also recall the band Jet. The albums “Nico Teen Love” and “Blonde Comme Moi” are what I listened to, and used CDs are reasonably priced for imports.

Cooper “Aeropuerto”
From Leon Spain, Cooper sparkles with energy, similar to The Wellingtons or Farrah except in Spanish. “Hyde Park” is an example of this, ringing Rickenbacker guitars and hand clapped beat make it great in any language. The swirling chords and jangle of “El Circulo Polar” is another winner. In fact most of the album follows this approach, with a break for mid-tempo indie ballad “En La Sofa” and the trippy “Lisboa.” Also impressive are “Steph” and “El Sueno.”