helsinkiflyer

I am from Finland and know well English, French, some German and Swedish, besides my native Finnish. I like very much listening to French rap music. At the very moment I am listening to a favourite of mine, MC Solaar. He's just great. Perhaps listening to European music doesn't make much sense to most Americans, but I sure like it.

There's nothing wrong with American pop-music either. I like that as well. So, my question is does any of you Fodorites listen or buy any European pop-music?

From Finland I could recommend HIM (kind of romantic hard-rock, that appeals mainly to 18-22 year-old girls) or The Rasmus (a band playing mainstream rock, great performers, eventhough the boys are quite young).

Any favourites out there? Do you listen to radio stations from abroad? I sure like listening to local Parisian stations over the Net. I used to live in France for over a year and it feels nice to listen to something different from the local stations we have here.

Surfergirl

Can you give us the web address for the French music station?

I've found most European pop music naive, but you know, I can't understand most of the lyrics, so it's probably me being naive, not the music.

I still love the old Celtic music from Brittany (like Alan Stivell).

helsinkiflyer

You can find French radio stations for example here. http://www.brume.org/radios/index.ph...oixville=PARIS

Some of them have a audio stream you can listen to. The most popular ones would be Skyrock, NRJ, FunRadio, RTL 1&2 and Europe1. Some of the more less popular ones that most people don't even know that exist are BeurFM(North-African music) JudaicFM (Jewish) CherieFM(love songs only)and so on. There are plenty.

Mucky

Hi helsinkiflyer,
European Music should not specifically be confused with British chart music.
The quality of UK music is desperately poor aimed at the teenage audiences in total.
The charts on commercial stations here are listings based on how many times the track is played rather than how many specifically have been bought.

My experience of European music other than UK is that there is a broad range of styles that will appeal to most people.
Unfortunately UK is hell bent on mass producing boy bands etc that are unable to play a note on a musical instrument, this however is probably quite cost effective.
Since when should music be cost effective.
I agree it is good to listen to something other than pop trash.

I will listen to the station mentioned this will be interesting I am sure.

Muck

hanl

I have to disagree with you, Mucky! British *mainstream* music is essentially a load of mass-produced dross, but there are still loads of great British bands out there that are worth listening to (Belle & Sebastian, the Streets, Badly Drawn Boy, Franz Ferdinand, Morrissey, Basement Jaxx, etc.)! Try listening to BBC 6 music (online at www.bbc.co.uk/6music or on DAB radio) to hear something other than the latest manufactured boy band singing an Elton John cover.

And although there are some great French acts around at the moment (Manu Chao, Dolly, Air, etc.), the French charts are full of terrible manufactured boy/girl bands and Pop Idol winners. And we have to put up with Johnny Hallyday here too. ;-)

hanl

Oops, jumped in a bit fast there... I've just seen that Mucky was talking about British chart music. Most of which is, indeed, rubbish.

SeaUrchin

Hi Helsinkiflyer, I love your city by the way. I listen to European music but on the tapes that I buy when I am visiting. I like to listen to the songs where I can't understand the words, then the voices are without meaning and become as musical instruments. I don't get bogged down listening to lyrics but can experience it in a different way.

Right now I am listening to a Greek CD where I am humming the words but have no idea what they mean!

cher_cher

I love Les Nubienes and, though she isn't European, I hear her on the waves whenever I'm there, Natasha Atlas!

joe19

I really like some of the Italian women: Giorgia, Irene Grandi, Syria, Carmen Consoli, and Paola Turci to name some. Marie-Chantal Toupin, a French language singer from Québec, is also a fave.

flygirl

love Euro-pop! also Brit-pop. all of it.

Manu Chao - got really hooked on him a few years ago on a trip to France, and on two trips 6 months apart to the Riviera heard a "band" called Galleon. "So I begin" - heard it on NRJ nonstop, and liked it so much I went on a hunt for it. found an EP CD with it...

Mucky

Yes Hanl,
Most of the bands you mentioned are hardly ever heard on UK's most listened to stations, that is exactly my point. European radio stations will play all the equivelent bands as well as the crap, to reach all audiences.

I am afraid that not so many people get to listen to BBC 6 which I think is only available through Internet,Freeview, sky and digital radio? This although a useful method is not the most convenient as many people will listen in the car etc.

So until the UK music industry and in particular Commercial radio stations alter their 6 record playlists we will all suffer the pain of the boy bands over and over again.

Muck

Christina

I'm too old to listen to current pop music in the US or Europe, I guess. I don't like most of it. I hate rap and think French rap is even worse. Now I do like some French pop music and listen to it, but it is older guys who've been around a while. I do like Francis Cabrel and he is still selling discs, I guess, although I didn't like his current one that well. I listen to Renaud, Maxime Forestier, etc., as well as Cabrel, as well as Barbara and some older singers like her. I have a disc by Keren Ann but it's rather soporific IMO. I also have a disc by Les Nubians and like them okay. Never did like Hallyday, but can listen to Sardou.

I like Stephan Eicher, he records in German/French and English, I guess (I think he's Swiss?).

I do like more current pop music from Latin and South America, but not Europe. I also like what is broadly termed "world music" with artists that can be from a lot of different countries, but that's not popular radio music.

BTilke

I don't care whether it's crap or not, but Dragostea Din Tei by QZone is a catchy tune and a cute video. We sing along with it even though we don't have the faintest clue what that Macedonian boy band is saying.

pandaschu

helsinkiflyer,

I like french rap too- I will check out MC Solaar. Thanks for the suggestion.

For Christmas my husband got me a c.d. called World 2003 (there is aslo a 2002 version). It features different genres of music from all over the world.

One of my favorite songs on the c.d. is by a Senegalese artist called Darra J. French rap in a sense.

BATUFFOLINA

BTilke,
Dragostea Din Tei is a Romanian song whose title can be translated as "make love under a lime tree". It was a hit for many months in Italy too, sang by Haiducii, a Romanian band. Then Iin Britain it was sang by QZone.

elle

I love M.C. Solaar! I'm starting to like Air, too. . . at least their most recent CD. There was an earlier one that I wasn't too crazy about. And I love Les Nubiens. . .they live here in Philadelphia for half the year now.

I thought I liked Badly Drawn Boy, but again, I seemed to have purchased a CD that's a bit of a drag. I think he has better stuff and almost bought the "About A Boy" soundtrack, thinking that's where I'd heard his good stuff.

I have the Franz Ferdinand CD; really like tracks two and three. There's another band I've heard that sounds a bit like them--Modest Mouse. Are they from Scotland too? Is Scotland especially happening for music these days?

The woman who sings on Telepopmusik's "Breathe"--I believe her name is Angela MacCloskey-- was interviewed on NPR the other day. She has a solo album out and they played some clips, which sounded very different from the trancey stuff and quite interesting. What a versatile voice she has.

My husband does a lot of work with Voss water here in the states and they sometimes give him these compilation CDs that have some excellent dance mixes on them. I expected a CD from a Norwegian water company to be sort-of New Age-y but they're actually quite diverse and a lot of fun. I don't think you can buy them in stores, though.

Suki

Elle, Modest Mouse is an American band. They are from Washington state, I think.

elle

Ah, thanks--I think I was interchanging them with Franz Ferdinand in my mind. Possibly because I first heard them around the same time.

rj007

Like SeaUrchin, I have CD's in languages that I don't speak. Sissel (Norway) has one of the most beautiful voices that I have ever heard. I also like Icelandic folk music and Irish singers such as Mary Black and the Corrs.

My favorite European group would have to be those lads from Liverpool. I have been listening to them for 40 years - I wonder, if, 40 years from now how many of the top bands of today will still be selling CD's?

Carmen

My son is a music fanatic, and many of his favorite bands are Scandinavian, as well as German. He idolizes Swedish band called Opeth, and while I don't like their "death metal" stuff, they have some very beautiful melodic songs that I really like. Son also likes a group called Apocayptica (I think that's the one) that is all cellos playing Metallica songs. (!!!) On a cello, Metallica sounds good even to me I'm sure there are lots more.

On the other hand, we both despise the "techno-pop," which I guess is kind of like disco for the new millenium. Our lovely German exchange student loves it, so I did TRY to tolerate it in the car a bit.