My personal blog as a 'grown-up' Goth and Romantic living in the Highlands of Scotland. I write about the places I go, the things I see and my thoughts on life as a Goth and the subculture, and things in the broader realm of the Gothic and darkly Romantic. Sometimes I write about music I like and sometimes I review things. This blog often includes architectural photography, graveyards and other images from the darker side of life.

Goth is not just about imitating each other, it is a creative movement and subculture that grew out of post-punk and is based on seeing beauty in the dark places of the world, the expression of that in Goth rock. It looks back to the various ways throughout history in which people have confronted and explored the macabre, the dark and the taboo, and as such I'm going to post about more than the just the standards of the subculture (Siouxsie, Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus, et al) and look at things by people who might not consider themselves anything to do with the subculture, but have eyes for the dark places. The Gothic should not be limited by what is already within it; inspiration comes from all places, the key is to look with open eyes, listen carefully and think with an open mind..

Monday 14 January 2013

♫ Music Showcase: Contre Jour ♫

A bilingual music blog post for a bilingual band!
Un blog musical bilingue pour un groupe bilingue!


Band NameContra Jour
Genre:
French Coldwave, New Wave
Languages: French, English
Active: 
Origin: France

Page: http://www.contrejourband.com/

Contre Jour are a French band based in Nice. Their previous incarnation was a band called Neptune. They have had several changes in band members since then, and are currently a trio.

Contre Jour est un groupe Français basé sur Nice. Avant, ils étaient connus sous le nom Neptune. Ils ont changé leurs membres depuis lors, et sont désormais un trio.

I don't think that Contre Jour would call themselves a Goth band; to me they are a very modern styling of French Coldwave (you may have noticed that this is a genre that I particularly enjoy). From their promotional photograph, they certainly do not appear to be into Goth fashion. Their fashion choices seem mainstream, but clothes do not define. A lot of their songs are sung in English, but the songs sung in their native French are beautiful and worth listening to as music even if you don't understand French. You're reading this in English, so I presume you can understand that!

Je ne pense pas que Contre Jour s’appelleraient eux-mêmes un groupe Goth; pour moi, ils appartiennent à un style très moderne du Coldwave Français (vous aurez peut-être remarqué que c'est un genre que j'apprécie particulièrement). En jugeant par leur photo de promotion, ils ne semblent pas vraiment porter de mode Gothique. Leurs chois de mode semble assez courant, mais les vêtements ne définissent pas le style. Pas mal de leurs chansons sont en français, mais les chansons chantées en anglais sont belles, et elles aussi dignes d'être écoutées juste en tant que musique même si vous ne comprenez pas l'anglais. Vu que vous lisez cet article en français, je suppose que vous le comprenez!

To me, their music sounds like something between The Cocteau Twins, Covenant and Sisters of Mercy, with synthesisers, the type of percussion that makes me think immediately of the 1980s, high production values and eerie female vocals. Their songs are not necessarily always about darker subject matter, but enough of them are, and their sound is such that I think there will definitely be a section of the readers of this blog who will appreciate them. I think they will appeal to fans of bands like Indochine as well as the more Goth bands. 

Pour moi, leur son évoquerait un mélange entre les Cocteau Twins, Covenant et Sisters of Mercy, du a leur utilisation de synthétiseurs, le genre de percussion (qui me fait penser immédiatement aux années 80), les valeurs de production élevés et les étranges voix féminines. Leurs chansons ne parlent pas nécessairement toujours de sujets sombres, mais un bon nombre d'entre eux le sont, et leur son est tel que je pense qu'il y aura certainement une partie des lecteurs de ce blog qui les apprécieront. Je pense qu'ils vont plaire aux fans de groupes comme Indochine ainsi que les groupes plus Goth. 

I only came across them recently, listening to online radio (I think it was either Cathedral 13) and think they are brilliant. They've got a new album out this january, and unfortunately I cannot pre-order it, but hopefully I will be able to buy a copy after I next get paid. Their new album will be called PASSION/FALL and you can watch a trailer on the band's website. It looks very promising from where I am sitting. 

Je ne l'ai découvert que récemment, en écoutant la radio sur en ligne (je crois que c'était soit Cathédrale 13 ou GothVille Radio) et je trouve qu'ils sont merveilleux. Ils ont un nouvel album en vente ce Janvier, et malheureusement, je ne peux pas le commander en avance, mais j'espère que je serai en mesure d'acheter un exemplaire une fois que je reçois mon prochain salaire. Leur nouvel album sera appelé PASSION / FALL et vous pouvez regarder une bande-annonce sur leur site web. Il semble très prometteur à ce que j’ai vu.

For those decidedly interested in darker things, I think that their music video for the song 'Old Age' is both suitably Gothic in its imagery and dark in its lyric content. 'Diseased' isn't exactly cheerful, but the video of the band running around the French countryside seems a lot chirpier. 

Pour ceux qui sont décidément intéresses par tout ce qui est sombre, je pense que leur vidéo pour la chanson <<Old Age>> est à la fois suffisamment Gothique dans question images, et sombre question paroles. <<Diseased>> n'est pas vraiment la plus gaie des chansons, mais la vidéo qui montre le groupe en train de courir dans campagne française a l’air quand même assez joyeux.

Big thanks to Sarge for correcting my French translations. The next band will be from an English-speaking country, I swear. French is the limit of my modern languages, I promise not to bother you with my truly awful grasp of German (I failed it at school) if I ever showcase a German band. 

2 comments:

  1. That's very cool of you to have done a bilingual post, Contre Jour deserves to be know despite of frontiers

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank-you :) I need to write more posts bilingually! They're a great band, and I need to showcase more bands, too!

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