You know those days where your contacts refuse to be put in easily? And you go to work all squintily and everyone thinks you’re stoned because your eyes are so terribly blood-shot that you refuse to make eye contact and keep giggling at the word “Cheez-It’s?” It’s one of those days.
Also, it’s one of those days where you’ve got Cher’s “Believe” stuck in your head. It’s a bad day.
That’s why I’m doing one of those catch-up posts, and introducing another one of my favorites. Najoua Belyzel is a French artist that I discovered through the dearly missed blog, OxygenChunks. She sings in French (Wow!), and her voice is like an airier version of Alanis Morrisette.
Her second single, “Je Ferme Les Yeux,” is the one I found first. I can’t even explain how obsessed I was with this song. The dark beat is throbbing, yet the lyrics and woeful and forlorn. I love everything about this song, but it’s distinctively Najoua’s vocals that make the song sound so haunting.
“Gabriel,” despite what both the lyrics and Najoua herself may suggest, is about the gays. The song, which was a hit with the gays, is a contemplation about a boy, featuring the lyrics “Are you made for him, or are you made for me?” Okay, so maybe there’s some metaphoric biblical garble thrown in to the song, but at the end of the day, she’s lusting after a mo, and she’s pissed about it.
“Comme Toi,” the third single, is a fun Irish-rock like driven song that is loads of fun to dramatically lip-synch to while in the dark recesses of your room.
Overall, Entre Deux Mondes is a beautiful album. I had it shipped over from France just so I could listen to the few tracks that I hadn’t already heard, and I’m glad that I did. Each track is genuinely haunting. Sort of like when I heard t.A.T.u. for the first time. I highly suggest Najoua to those looking for some darker, haunting beats, woeful vocals, or becoming a snoot and listening to music that isn’t from around here. I am eagerly awaiting her follow up album, due out later in 2008.
Songs will be uploaded later tonight. Enjoy the videos for now!
Please be sure to buy Najoua Belyzel’s Entre Deux Mondes
at Amazon.
And you, what do you think?
