Everybody Was in the French Resistance...Now!
Encyclopedia
Everybody Was in the French Resistance...Now! are a band dedicated to writing responses to popular songs
, featuring Eddie Argos
of Art Brut
and Dyan Valdés of The Blood Arm
. They have released one album, Fixin' the Charts, Vol. 1 in 2010.
attempting to "steal men from happy and loving relationships," a sardonic reference to her song "Girlfriend
". Eddie Argos is a renowned 'music geek', and took the opportunity to reply to several songs on this project, from 60's soul numbers on "Hey, It's Jimmy Mack", to Kanye West
on "Coal Digger".
It is currently not clear if the band was a one off side project, or if there are plans for a second album, although it has been mentioned in passing on Eddie Argos' blog.
, and was produced by Dave Newton of Mighty Lemon Drops. The 12 tracks reply to a wide variety of songs, and often take a completely different tack to the original, for example, where Creeque Alley
by The Mamas and the Papas sang about the history of the band and the California music scene of the time, Creque Allies is a potted history of the French Resistance
in World War II.
click can lead to a painfully obnoxious album." It was also variously described as "half finished", and "disposable" However, Spin
magazine gave the album 7/10, referring to Eddie as "one of his generation's great poets of the mundane".
However some songs on the album were praised individually in the same reviews, for example He's a Rebel was regarded as "Funny and witty", and Stereogum referred to Argos as "Indie rock's thick-browed sardonic clown prince.". Contact Music's largely negative review did concede that, "There are moments of pitch perfect piano pop".
Answer song
An answer song is, as the name suggests, a song made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. It is also known as a response song. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s through 1950s...
, featuring Eddie Argos
Eddie Argos
Eddie Argos is the lead singer of English rock band Art Brut,born in Weymouth, England. He later moved to Poole, Dorset as a young child, and has subsequently written about the Martin Kemp-Welch School there , in the song Martin Kemp-Welch Five A Side Football Rules from the album Brilliant! Tragic!...
of Art Brut
Art Brut (band)
Art Brut are a Berlin-based English and German indie rock band. Their debut album, Bang Bang Rock & Roll, was released on 30 May 2005, with its follow up, It's a Bit Complicated, released on 25 June 2007...
and Dyan Valdés of The Blood Arm
The Blood Arm
-Band Information:The Blood Arm were formed in LA in 2003 and were nominated for the LA Weekly Music Award for Best New Artist in 2004. They won the Best Live Act award at the 2005 South By Southwest Music Conference. Franz Ferdinand have often mentioned The Blood Arm as their favourite band in...
. They have released one album, Fixin' the Charts, Vol. 1 in 2010.
History
Eddie Argos announced the band on his blog in 2008, stating that this was a response to Avril LavigneAvril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
attempting to "steal men from happy and loving relationships," a sardonic reference to her song "Girlfriend
Girlfriend (Avril Lavigne song)
"Girlfriend" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. The song was written by Lavigne with her producer Dr. Luke for Lavigne's third studio album, The Best Damn Thing . "Girlfriend" was released as the lead single from The Best Damn Thing on 27 February 2007...
". Eddie Argos is a renowned 'music geek', and took the opportunity to reply to several songs on this project, from 60's soul numbers on "Hey, It's Jimmy Mack", to Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
on "Coal Digger".
It is currently not clear if the band was a one off side project, or if there are plans for a second album, although it has been mentioned in passing on Eddie Argos' blog.
Fixin' The Charts, Vol. 1
Everybody Was in the French Resistance...Now!'s album was recorded at the legendary Joshua TreeJoshua tree
Yucca brevifolia is a plant species belonging to the genus Yucca. It is tree-like in habit, which is reflected in its common names: Joshua tree, Yucca palm, Tree yucca, and Palm tree yucca....
, and was produced by Dave Newton of Mighty Lemon Drops. The 12 tracks reply to a wide variety of songs, and often take a completely different tack to the original, for example, where Creeque Alley
Creeque Alley
"Creeque Alley" is an autobiographical hit single written by John Phillips and Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas in 1967, narrating the story about how the group was formed. The title of the song is derived from the place Creque or Crequi Alley, home to a club in the Virgin Islands where...
by The Mamas and the Papas sang about the history of the band and the California music scene of the time, Creque Allies is a potted history of the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
in World War II.
Critical Reception
The album received mixed reviews in the media. Pitchfork, who are normally favourable to Argos' main band Art Brut stated that it was "for obsessives only", and of the concept that, "a mildly amusing MyspaceMyspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
click can lead to a painfully obnoxious album." It was also variously described as "half finished", and "disposable" However, Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
magazine gave the album 7/10, referring to Eddie as "one of his generation's great poets of the mundane".
However some songs on the album were praised individually in the same reviews, for example He's a Rebel was regarded as "Funny and witty", and Stereogum referred to Argos as "Indie rock's thick-browed sardonic clown prince.". Contact Music's largely negative review did concede that, "There are moments of pitch perfect piano pop".
Tracklisting
| # | Title | Time | Answer song to |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Creque Allies" | 3:08 | The Mamas & the Papas The Mamas & the Papas The Mamas & the Papas were a Canadian/American vocal group of the 1960s . The group recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968 with a short reunion in 1971, releasing five albums and 11 Top 40 hit singles... - "Creeque Alley Creeque Alley "Creeque Alley" is an autobiographical hit single written by John Phillips and Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas in 1967, narrating the story about how the group was formed. The title of the song is derived from the place Creque or Crequi Alley, home to a club in the Virgin Islands where... " |
| 2 | "G.I.R.L.F.R.E.N (You Know I've Got A)" | 3:21 | Avril Lavigne - "Girlfriend" |
| 3 | "(I'm So) Waldo P. Emerson Jones" | 2:52 | The Archies The Archies The Archies are a garage band founded by Archie Andrews, Reggie Mantle, and Jughead Jones, a group of adolescent fictional characters of the Archie universe, in the context of the animated TV series, The Archie Show... - "Waldo P. Emerson Jones" |
| 4 | "The Scarborough Affaire" | 2:29 | "Scarborough Fair Scarborough Fair "Scarborough Fair" is a traditional ballad of the United Kingdom.The song tells the tale of a young man, who tells the listener to ask his former lover to perform for him a series of impossible tasks, such as making him a shirt without a seam and then washing it in a dry well, adding that if she... " (trad. arr.) |
| 5 | "Billy's Genes" | 3:27 | Michael Jackson Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records... - "Billy Jean" |
| 6 | "Think Twice (It's Not Alright)" | 3:31 | Bob Dylan Bob Dylan Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly... - "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right Don't Think Twice, It's All Right "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1962, and released on the 1963 album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.-Context:... " |
| 7 | "Hey! It's Jimmy Mack" | 3:01 | Martha & The Vandellas- "Jimmy Mack Jimmy Mack "Jimmy Mack" is a 1967 pop/soul single recorded by Martha and the Vandellas for Motown's Gordy imprint. Written and produced by Motown's main creative team, Holland–Dozier–Holland, "Jimmy Mack" was the final Top 10 hit for the Vandellas in the United States, peaking at number 10 on the Billboard... " |
| 8 | "He's A "Rebel" " | 2:42 | The Crystals The Crystals The Crystals are an American vocal group based in New York, considered one of the defining acts of the girl group era of the first half of the 1960s. Their 1961–1964 chart hits, including "Uptown", "He's a Rebel", "Da Doo Ron Ron " and "Then He Kissed Me", featured three successive female lead... - "He's A Rebel He's a Rebel "He's a Rebel" is a pop song credited to the girl group The Crystals, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in November 1962. Written by Gene Pitney and produced by Phil Spector, it is considered one of the definitive examples of the Spector-produced girl group sound.In 2004, the song was... " |
| 9 | "Coal Digger" | 2:40 | Kanye West Kanye West Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and... - Gold Digger Gold Digger "Gold Digger" is a song recorded by American rapper Kanye West featuring guest vocals by Jamie Foxx. Released as the second single from West's second album, Late Registration, "Gold Digger" peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 on September 6, 2005, becoming West's and Foxx's second... |
| 10 | "My Way (Is Not Always the Best Way)" | 3:19 | Frank Sinatra Frank Sinatra Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the... - "My Way My Way (song) "My Way" is a song popularized by Frank Sinatra. Its lyrics were written by Paul Anka and set to music based on the French song "Comme d'habitude" composed in 1967 by Claude François and Jacques Revaux, with lyrics by Claude François and Gilles Thibault. Anka's English lyrics are unrelated to the... " |
| 11 | "Superglue" | 1:37 | Elastica Elastica Elastica were an English alternative rock band that played punk rock-influenced music. They were best known for their 1995 album Elastica, which produced singles that charted in the US and the UK.-History:... - "Vaseline" |
| 12 | "Walk Alone" | 3:19 | Gerry & The Pacemakers Gerry & the Pacemakers Gerry and the Pacemakers were a British beat music group prominent during the 1960s. In common with The Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein and recorded by George Martin. They are most remembered for being the first act to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart with... - "You'll Never Walk Alone You'll Never Walk Alone You'll Never Walk Alone is a song from the musical Carousel, a pop standard and football club anthem, for example that of Liverpool F.C.You'll Never Walk Alone may also refer to:* You'll Never Walk Alone , studio album... " |
Personnel
- Eddie Argos- Vocals, composer
- Dyan Valdés- Vocals, piano, composer
- David Newton- Producer, guitar, bass
- Louis Castle- Trumpet
- Nick Armoroso- Drums
- Bekki Newton- Vocals
- Dave Schultz- Mastering