DEUX SUR UNE BANQUETTE

At Music, we have an unconditional love for french new wave, as you might know if you own the issue 0 of the fanzine.

Marie et les Garçons are from Lyon, they were formed in 1975 and toured with the likes of The Clash, Police and french bands like Téléphone and Bijou. They were discovered by Michel Esteban and Lizzy Mercier Descloux and invited to record their debut album in New York, it was produced by John Cale. But the band split up when the "garçons" from the band discovered dance music and decided to record a disco album that made it to the US charts but never gained commercial success. 
Here are two versions of the same song: Re Bop. The first one is a catchy rock'n'roll tune that loops on the same sentence, a very upbeat take on surf music. It was released in france in the late seventies. 
The second one, Re Bop Electronic was on the B-Side of Garçons's debut album, "Divorce", released on Ze Records. It is featured on the great "Ze Records Story (1979 - 2009)" compilation (Strut Records). This version is darker and could sound like a clean french Suicide single, the analog instruments transform the song completely, making it as cold as the lazers of the long gone Palace.

Re-Bop - Marie et les Garçons 

Re-Bop Electronique - Garçons

  

Tokow Boys manipulate the clichés of the eighties as precociously as if they were holding dynamite. The gang of five serve us an explosive mix of laconic slogans and child ballads, on analog beats and heavy bass all mixed up with perverse carelesness. When the band split up, two of their members carried on with music and formed Luna Parker, who peaked french charts with the single "Tes états d'âme, Eric".
I just got a 7" at this great record store and extracted this track. It is the B-Side of their first single "Petite Rockette". Throbbing lyrics on ambiant music.

Swinging Pool - Tokow Boys