The Limiñanas - I'm Dead

A brilliant, buoyant, very '60s-influenced pop tune from this south-of-France band. It was their first single, released in 2010, and they've since followed it up with a self-titled album on the Trouble in Mind label. They do actually sing in French on some of their songs, which is something I always like in a French pop band. Not because it's French, I just think pop bands shouldn't always feel they have to sing in English, if their native language is something else. Anyway, great tune, this one.

My Raining Stars - Gone For Ever More

French band whose sound takes little bits from baggy, C86 and skinny-tie pop. Not a bad collection of influences, I'm sure you'd agree.

This is from their 2008 album From St Saviour To Quickwell.

The Dø - On My Shoulders

The first Finnish band to make an appearance on this blog (well, French-Finnish anyway). The singer, whose name I'm not going to even attempt to spell, has an interestingly screechy voice that would probably be hard to listen to if my hangover was any worse. Some of their folkier songs are quite lovely.

This was a 2007 single, and also appeared the next year on their debut album A Shoulder.

The Wendy Darlings - Enormous Pop

The Wendy Darlings are a French band with a brilliant name (that's always a bonus) and, in this, a definite contender for 2009's Song of the Year. It's utterly classic-sounding tweeindiegirlpop in the mode of all the greats like Talulah Gosh, the Shop Assistants and fill-in-your-own-favourites-here.

The song is from their EP We Come With Friendly Purposes, the rest of which isn't quite as strong as this track but has as much promise as any other debut I've heard recently.

No idea who made the video or what it's all about, BTW.

Autour de Lucie - Ce Que L'On Tait

French indiepop! Not something you hear very often. Unless, I suppose, you're French. Most of the lyrics are in French, too, which is something I admire, being a determinedly anti-imperialist (linguistic or otherwise) sort. Bands from non-Anglophone countries shouldn't feel they have to sing in English just to get people to listen to them.

Anyway, you certainly don't need to understand what they're saying to be utterly captivated by Valérie Leulliot's sweet voice, and guitars that ring out like something from Scottish pop's 1980s' heyday.

I assume there must have been others like this where they came from, and deeply regret the fact that I don't know.