Catapulting from her distinctive, idiosyncratic contributions as one of Nouvelle Vague's featured vocalists, Camille (cam-EEE) is a platinum-selling sensation in her native France and a singer whose unique appeal lies partly in an almost arch, super-saturated French-ness. A bilingual self-trained musician, Camille uses her beautifully clear, high voice with great fluidity -- but uses it as much to mumble, taunt herself, and chant nonsense words, as to actually sing. Yet sing she does, through a suite of utterly engaging songs, strung together along a sustained ambient drone on her second solo outing ‘Le Fil.’

Already having won two Victoires (the French equivalent of the Grammy Awards) for ‘Le Fil’ as Best New Album of the year and for herself as Best Live Performer, Camille brings her enchanting release to the US. Largely a cappella in nature, Camille's stylish songs are widely varied, yet strikingly simple, with melodies that stick in your mind and at times evoke the singsong of childhood nursery rhymes. Through multi-tracking her vocals over ambient, sparse instrumental backgrounds, creating stacked choruses and call & response all in her own voice, punctuated not with drums or machines but with handclaps, blips and quirky vocal percussion, Camille manages to create an album that is both minimal but full of depth. While likened to Bjork, Kate Bush, Laurie Anderson and even Zap Mama, she in fact stakes out a stylistic ground quite her own, with her arresting melodies, quirky performance and an engagingly witty stage presence absolutely lacking self-consciousness or artifice.

US SHOW DATES:
June 10 - Los Angeles @ Knitting Factory
June 11 - SF @ Bimbos 365 Club
June 12-13 - NY @ Joe's Pub
June 14 - DC @ French Embassy

VIDEOS

Au Port (WMV)


Ta Douleur (WMV)