APRIL MARCH

“Triggers”

One of the last niches that I discovered in my circumnavigation of the pop world was yé-yé. I discovered it quite by chance, really. I heard Sheila’s “Les Rois Mages” in the soundtrack of the 1997 film Ma Vie en Rose, hung around for the music credits, made a note of the artist and title and then tracked down a Sheila’s greatest hits CD. Now, “Les Rois Mages” was originally released in 1971, so it’s too late to qualify as yé-yé (it is, in fact, a good example of Jesus rock, à la Ocean’s “Put Your Hand in the Hand”), but the CD did include several of Sheila’s yé-yé hits, including “L’Ecole est Finie” and “Pendant Les Vacances,” both from 1963. I loved ’em all. I then learned that yé-yé was the French version of early ’60s girl-pop. It doesn’t quite have an American counterpart, but the Motown girl-groups are a close approximation, though most yé-yé is done by single artists (the aforementioned Sheila, France Gall, and François Hardy are three of the more prominent yé-yé girls).

Fast-forward about ten years, and a friend of mine and I are at a Roller Derby competition here in Los Angeles and I hear what must be a classic yé-yé song over the sound system. I can’t recognize the song, but my friend Shazams it and it turns out it’s by April March and it’s not from the early ’60s, but from 1995. I’m an instant fan―and in my vuew, her finest album is 2002’s Triggers, an album that reimagines yé-yé rather than simulates it.

April March (née Elinor Blake) really has two creative careers, working as an artist and animator as well as a musician. As an animator, she has worked for Archie Comics and Pee Wee’s Playhouse, but may be best-known for animating Madonna in the title sequence for the film Who’s That Girl? Her musical career began in 1987 with The Pussywillows and then later, The Shitbirds, who did release an album in 1995. At about the same time, March released a double-single which included the song “Chick Habit,” which was prominently featured in the film But I’m a Cheerleader! A number of other releases followed, some hewing pretty close to the yé-yé formula and others stretching out a bit. Triggers was produced by Bertran Bergalat (who mixed Air’s “Sexy Boy”) and the production is extremely well-realized: lush, meticulous, textured.

Following a brief prelude titled “Résumé,” the album opens with La Nuit Est Là,” a pulsing, droning, trance-inducing track with layers of minimalist hooks that sets the mood for the adventures to follow. It’s an interesting listen, but not something you could whistle while doing yardwork. “Somewhere Up Above” is one of the highlights here, displaying a tough pop sensibility with crunchy guitars and both fuzzy and chiming synth riffs. The chord changes, especially as the chorus approaches are unexpected—even startling—but perfect pop. “Coral Bracelet” is reminiscent of some of France Gall’s late-’60s work and relies on some of the conventional motifs of that time—it’s pretty much pastiche but is every bit as well-realized as the best work by The Dukes of Stratospear. “The Life of the Party” is decidedly darker, landing somewhere between the yé-yé that inspires much of Triggers and the type of soundtrack fodder inspired by Lana Del Rey. A palette cleanser, I suppose. “Le Code Rural” doesn’t quite crank up the tempo, but it’s a bouncy pop number with a rich, textured arrangement and some kitschy cabaret touches. “Sometimes When I Stretch” is one of the more popular songs from the album, but strikes me as meandering, dull and mildly depressing. Perhaps it’s a generational thing. “Le Coeur Hypothéque,” on the other hand is a charming, heavily psychedelic number that features a soaring string arrangement and a nearly overwhelming set of sound effects and sonic curiosities. It is the rare track that is both appealing from a pop aesthetic and still quite out-there (“I Am the Walrus” is another example). The title track is a concise instrumental that could have served well on the soundtrack of an early ’70s heist movie—it is a mere diversion here. “There is Always Madness” has a terrific chorus that is more girl-group new wave than yé-yé, but here the bridge is the highlight—a brief set of modulating chords with a lovely melody and (more) soaring strings. “Zero Zero” offers a sing-song-chorus surrounded by moody, sometimes almost ambient material, reminding me a little of Air’s early work. The closer is “Necropolis,” a vaguely avant-garde, though occasionally exciting instrumental with a completely over-the-top kitchen sink arrangement. It’s interesting, I suppose, but no fun and, in my view, properly placed in the final position so that the elderly and people prone to nightmares can conveniently skip it.

Two singles were released from Triggers: “Sometimes When I Stretch” and “Coral Bracelet,” both with bonus B-sides (if the term even has any currency today). March’s latter releases were both collaborations: 2008’s Magic Monsters with Steve Hanft and 2013’s April March and Aquaserge with—you guessed it—Aquaserge.

Triggers is no longer in print, though it is widely available for streaming and downloads. Used copies of the CD are very affordable, using going for $5-7. Of, course, fans of yé-yé will need to add this to their collection, but it’s highly recommended for all pop geeks who have even the slightest sense of adventure.

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Pop Pioneer and “Lost Treasures” writer, Peter Marston is the leader of long-running power pop band, Shplang, whose most recent album, “My Big Three Wheeler” has been described as “the Beatles meet Zappa in pop-psych Sumo match.”  Peter has a new project in 2015 under the name MARSTON.   Marston have a track on the latest “Power Pop Planet – Volume 5” compilation just out now and available at:  www.PopGeekHeavenStore.com.

CHECK OUT SHPLANG out at this link:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/shplang

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LINKS:

All Music Guide:  http://www.allmusic.com/album/triggers-mw0000325312

Discogs Listing:   http://www.allmusic.com/album/triggers-mw0000325312

Blog post:  http://www.inmusicwetrust.com/articles/62r04.html

Blog Post 2: http://www.prefixmag.com/reviews/april-march/triggers/13371/

VIDEO:

TRIGGERS:

THERE IS ALWAYS MADNESS: