Julie Et Joe - Marelle (2020) Hi-Res

Joe Moore is like Elefant’s Brill Building. But the whole building in just one person. We have seen him move through chamber pop, sixties pop, techno-pop, French pop, lounge… So, we gave him a few albums by ELLI ET JACNO, LIO, MIKADO, MATHÉMATIQUES MODERNES, BRAQUE and above all, Jacno’s first album (who this album is dedicated to), and now here we are with a 10” in our hands. Eight songs stupendously sung by Julie Big (who was the voice of LE SUPERHOMARD on the album "Meadow Lane Park" and the other singles released by Elefant) that are a paragon of fun, fantasy, freshness and an authentic invitation to never leave the dance floor. This project came about unexpectedly, and has given us a handful of catchy, exciting songs, using codes that, unfortunately, are not often seen in music these days.

Ultra-danceable techno-pop super hits, full of playful, dance-y synthesizers, like “Marelle” itself or like that “Single (Game Over)” that takes us back to a naïve NEW ORDER or the DEPECHE MODE of “Dreaming Of Me”, but with those totally bubblegum spirit choruses. Instrumentals like “Polygone” and “La Séquence” that irreparably bring to mind Jacno and KRAFTWERK at their most pop. “Le Midi” is pure LIO spirit and, somehow, Jacno’s shadow hovers over the whole album.

The thing is, that early-eighties era was prolific in interesting and inspiriting francophone options, like MODERNE, DROIDS, Marie Möör, RUTH, LIO, MIKADO and, of course, Étienne Daho. That wave is clearly paid tribute to on this numbered-limited-edition, 10” Mini-LP, on which Julie Big’s fantastic voice (which, by the way, has been solicited by Paul Weller himself for his latest album) plays a crucial role. This is an unique piece in the current music scene, further proof of the versatility and skill of Joe Moore’s songwriting, and above all, a necessary and tremendously enjoyable tribute.