Melon Galia unfortunately split in 2004.
So : download our songs, make the adventure go on, and check out our solo projects in our Topfriends below (right now Samir Barris, Soy un caballo and Le Yéti).
Order our records now on
"It's been three years since Les embarras du quotidien was originally
released in Melon Galia's native Belgium. The band's slow, steady hike
from domestic obscurity to distribution licenses with both the Tokyo-based
imprint Pi-Vine Records and Montreal's Grenadine Records hasn't involved
the NME or attractive photo kits, but they're still clever enough to throw
out a few market hooks -- track seven on their debut album features a blip
of a vocal contribution from Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst (perfect
for that look-at-me! sticker on the front of the CD), its cuddly liner
art, filled with vintage product logos, nods to Stereolab, and the treble
half of every breezy duet from the male-female team of Thierry De Brouwer
and Aurelie Muller directly references Isobel from Belle and Sebastian.And although Melon Galia sound nothing like Bright Eyes, Stereolab or
Belle and Sebastian, it wouldn't hurt to think of the band as lying
somewhere beneath the Atlantic Ocean that separates the three. The
sprightly rhythms, baroque orchestrations and off-hand melodies in "Tout
le monde d'accord", "L'epaisseur d'un cheveu" and "Les lendemains qui
chantent" shine as pleasantly as summer sun on a highland moor, while
jazzier minor-key touches in "il ne m'en aura rien couté" and "Au risque
de te plaire" keep things tied to traditional French pop. The band isn't
afraid to rock out, either: "Jamais je ne mens" lays its Bacharachian
melody over a stutteringly quick drum track and a bed of American-indie
guitar runs, "Tout le monde d'accord" 's chorus does a bit of shoegazing,
and the last half of "il fallait bien" turns up the gain for a dissonant
accent before the song slides off to its melancholy end.
In trying to place and properly describe Melon Galia, I forgot to add one
important detail: they're damn good. Everything about Les embarras du
quotidien is impeccable -- its sense of songcraft, its use of
orchestration, its sequencing, its balance of old and new influences, its
knowledge of when to lay off the sugar and when to add meat instead. If I
knew French, I could add the lyrics to the list, but all I know comes from
the press release: Melon Galia sing about "the problems of daily life."
Good to know, of course, but the often-stunning harmonic interplay between
De Brouwer and Muller is enough to keep my attention regardless; a
translation would probably just be a bonus.
In other words, Melon Galia have enough here with Les embarras du
quotidien itself that they don't need to ride their influences or milk
certain minimal contributions from other, more famous people. If life has
even a shred of fairness left, Melon Galia will continue to cultivate
their strong sense of independence and their international fanbase, and
we'll hear more from them in the near future."
Splendidezine/2003
"Well written and beautifully constructed French pop. Unlike other French artists who write and sing in English...these folks made the intelligent decision to sing in their native language. Les Embarras du Quotidien was first released in the Belgium in 2000 and was only released in North America this year (courtesy of the fine folks at Canada's Grenadine label). Produced in part by babysue favorite John Cunningham and mixed by Mike Mogis, this album is destined to be a favorite all over the world. Melon Galia tunes do not sound like other French pop we have heard. This band works in a more adventurous territory...often incorporating a wide variety of instruments into their music. And their songs are anything but predictable. The band was begun by friends Thierry De Brouwer and Samir Barris who met at the University of Brussels. The pair eventually hooked up with Frederic Van Bever and Aurelie Muller...and the band was born. It is difficult to come up with comparisons here. These tunes are complex, beautiful, haunting, and quite mesmerizing indeed. The arrangements are absolutely stunning. Killer stuff. Highly recommended. (Rating: 5+++)"
Babysue/2003
