Indochine: The New French New Wave

I heard the Parisian new wave band Indochine in a record store in Montreal a few years ago and bought their album off the turntable. The Francophone store owner gave me a dirty look for not knowing the group, which was probably justified. Indochine are not "growers" -- their music is immediate to the extent that listening to an entire album can be exhausting. Taken a few songs at a time, though, it's exhilarating. Cheesy new wave textures from both sides of the Atlantic (think synth horns AND surf rock guitars) gel into something addictive and improbably well-crafted.

"L'aventurier" from "L'aventurier" (1982)




"Canary Bay" from "3" (1985)