Category: Music

The Limiñanas “The Darkside”

“The first ten seconds of the first song, “The Darkside,” on the Limiñanas’ self-titled debut album tells you everything you need to know about the band and the record right away. Simply put, if you think the idea of Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin backed by the Velvet Underground and produced by Liam Watson is a good one, you’re going to love this band and this record.”- All Music

I’m bañanas over the Limiñanas!

One of my new favorite bands of the Summer 2016 are The Limiñanas. Lionel Limiñanas and his drummer/vocalist/wife Marie own a record shop “Vinyl Maniac” in Perpignan,France – not far from the border of Spain on the Mediterranean coast. They’ve released four groovy albums, each of which I have been devouring on Spotify. Their sound combines French pop, garage,electronic and psychedelia with lyrics sung in English, French and Italian (why no Spanish, Lino?) I detect some Mekons influence, but maybe because I love the Mekons and detect their influence everywhere, including a recent baptism I attended.

The Limiñanas are playing La Cigale in Paris on September 29th. Let’s find a way to get there. Come with me!

The Limiñanas “Je ne suis pas très drogue”

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You say potato, I say pomme de terre

As I listen more to French singers performing songs they’ve translated from English, I’m becoming fascinated by the inherent complexities of that process. Even in a proper translation, a song’s rhyme and poetic qualities may suffer.

porter-music
Cole Porter

In a poor translation, a song’s meaning can be completely lost. “It’s like searching for the best path through the forest which must satisfy several conflicting criteria,” says Russian translator Stanislov Korotyginit,  “It must be the shortest path, the nicest and the safest. And you have to meet the wolf on the way.”

Continue reading “You say potato, I say pomme de terre” →