Camille
Country of origin:
France
Type of music generally:
Evocative/eclectic, experimental pop
Status:
Most recent release, Live au Trianon (2006); most recent release of new material, Le Fil (2005)
See also:
Camille's site
Comparisons:
Björk, Kate Bush, Laurie Anderson, Regina Spektor, Emilie Simon, Zap Mama, Sheila ChandraShe's most often compared to Björk, but I actually don't hear much resemblance. A far better comparison, to me, is the vocal experimentation of Zap Mama, though musically they're quite different. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Covers/own material:
Own
General comments:
Camille is the most sassy, experimental, and confident singer/songwriter I have stumbled across. She's French and she's huge in France, no wonder. (christina_skov@hotmail.com)Pardon the gushing, but I have been completely and totally enamored by French singer Camille...the most stunning new discovery I have made all year (sort of in the vein of a French Regina Spektor/Björk/Emilie Simon)—wonderful, quirky, vocal gymnastics, interesting song compositions, unique vision...great stuff. Her albums are wonderful (especially Le Fil). (gordodo@optonline.net)
One of the most inventive and individual artists I've heard in years. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Recommended first album:
Le Fil
Recordings:
- Le Sac des filles (2002)
- Le Fil (2006)
- Live au Trianon (live, 2006)
Le sac des filles
Release info:
2002—Virgin Records (France)—81278222
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Camille Dalmais—vocals; piano (11); backing vocals (3-5, 7-9)
Guest artists:
Sebastien Martel—guitars (2-5, 7, 9, 10)
Etienne Wersinger—keyboards and arrangements (8)
Alexandre Chatin—guitar (4, 5)
Denis Benarrosh—drums (2, 4, 7, 9); percussion (1, 4, 5)
Laurent Vernerey—bass (2, 4, 7, 9)
Steve Nieve—piano, keyboards (1, 2, 9)
Jacques Ehrhart—backing vocals (7)
Malik Mezzadri—backing vocals (9); arrangements (11)
Euston Jones—guitar (6)
Simon Dalmais—keyboards (10)
Victor Cuno—tap dancing (2)
Romain Calibre—cello (8)
Albin Lebossé, Emmanuel Beneche, Sylvain Daniel, Bertrand Culler—horns (11)
Budapest Symphony Orchestra—winds and strings (2, 9)
Bernard Arcadio—arrangements (2, 9)
Produced by:
Jacques Ehrhart
Comments:
I just tracked down her debut album—how can you dislike an album that uses tap dancers for percussion, has a xylophone solo, and on another track uses what I think is throwing silverware onto the floor as a percussive instrument... (gordodo@optonline.net)Experimental in a different way than Le Fil. I didn't find it as immediately captivating, but it grew on me quickly. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Le fil
Release info:
2006—Narada—09463-59701-2-8
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Essential
Group members:
Camille—drone, vocals, backing vocals, human beatbox, percussion (2, 5, 14), wurlitzer (13), piano (13)
Guest artists:
Martin Gamet—bass, double bass, percussion (2, 3, 6, 11, 13), human beatbox (15), backing vocals (15), arrangements (3, 11)
Matthew Ker alias MaJiKer—percussion (10, 11, 13), piano (6), synthesizer (7, 9), claps (2)
Julien Chirol—trombones and trombone arrangement (2, 11, 12, 13, 15)
Sébastien Martel—elastic guitar (3, 11, 12)
Antoine Dijol—guitar (6)
Martin Rappeneau—piano (6)
Ruth Brewer—claps (2)
Produced by:
Camille and MaJiKer
Comments:
She does awesome stuff backing herself with her own vocalizations. A warmer voice than I'd expected from the way she'd been described to me. (Someone I know called her a French Björk. People really need to stop throwing Björk's name around. I feel it's very rarely accurate in any way.) Definitely must-hear. (timjy@sbcglobal.net)Sort of a mix of Sheila Chandra's ABoneCroneDrone, Ella Fitzgerald [especially how she can sing instruments] Björk's Medulla, Shivaree's latest, and Keren Ann). This is the album that I had hoped Björk's Medulla would be...loosely orchestrated with instruments as accents, but more of the Ella style of singing the instruments to go along with the vocals. (gordodo@optonline.net)
Live au Trianon
Copy-Protected DiscRelease info:
2006—EMI (France)—094635471427
Availability:
France and places that carry import CDs
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended for anyone who likes unusual music
Group members:
Camille—vocals, sampler, body percussions, piano on "Pale septembre"
Guest artists:
MaJiKer—piano, prepared piano, accodion, body percussions, backing vocals
Martin Garnet—bass, contrebass, percussion, drumkit, backing vocals
Sly "The Mic Buddah"—human beat-boxing
Comments:
Anyone interested in some French vocal gymnastics (no headbutting I promise) should run and give this a listen...all the best tracks from her two previous studio albums sung live along with a bunch of other songs. (gordodo@optonline.net)I love this. It's done with such verve. Experimental, but rarely in a way will put anyone off—the experimentation is mostly in the "human beatbox" style and Camille's vocal playing. It reminds me more of Sheila Chandra's ABoneCroneDrone than of anything else, though yes occasionally there are hints of Björk's Medulla. I have the other albums and like them a lot, but really love this (and I rarely like live albums!) Highly recommended. (Neile)
Thanks to JoAnn Whetsell for work on this entry.
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