Quidam

While sulking recently about how our favourite Paris live venue had become all trendy and uptight, we mentioned that indie rock is currently fashionable in Paris. One proof of this is the amount of promotion going into French guitar bands; we don't remember ever hearing so many radio promos for home-grown bands before.

One band currently doing well out of this is Quidam (pronounced 'kee-dam'). The Clermont-Ferrand trio (right) had released their debut album, 'En Eaux Profondes' ("in deep waters") earlier this year and it was a modest success.

Now, though, they're getting loads of airplay for a single off this album. 'Nos Souvenirs' ("our memories") is hardly revolutionary or daring - but it's a catchy little thing, with its slinky rhythm guitar riff and (that rare thing in French rock) a chorus hook! Round-the-clock radio exposure means we can't get it out of our heads, which is a good thing.

The song has been doing the rounds since 2005, when Les Inrockuptibles featured it on their annual CQFD compilation of new French tunes. But it's only now that there's a market for guitar bands making radio-friendly pop. Better late than never, though.

The rest of their album is decent enough, though there's nothing else as good as 'Nos Souvenirs'. Still, one good song is one more than most bands have.  

You can find out more about Quidam on their MySpace page. (Their name is a Latin word for a person who can't be identified.) Here's the video for 'Nos Souvenirs':

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