ARTHUR H

ARTHUR H
TROUBLE-FÊTE (1996)
320 KBPS

Arthur H. is the son of Jaques Higelin. This is his third studio album, and with it he has fully crawled out from underneath his father's shadow. Trôublè Fêtê came out at the end of 1997 and has maintained a solid slot in my 'currently listening to' pile for a year and a half-- that's how often I play it. (FYI: It is in French - like all of his music.)
Arthur H's music is part rock, part jazz, part cabaret and part surreal. English speaking comparisons that come to mind are Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen. His voice is deep, he plays piano, and his band plays just about every insturment/object. Subject matter ranges from the Eiffel Tower floating off into the sky to black and white televisions playing static to African wildlife, dark forests and black barons.
I strongly recommend Arthur H's music. He's better than the last couple Tom Waits albums, better than Leonard Cohen and most importantly, he's creating original sounding new music from the city of Paris, France. Someone to throw into your collection alongside the greats like Gainsbourg and Brel. An innovator. Not to be missed.

1. Le Baron Noir
2. La Tele
3. Onirique Attaque
4. Le Sculteur Aveugle
5. La Femme Ideale
6. La Tour Eiffel Siderale
7. Petite Reine
8. J'Ai Un Revolver
9. Le Soleil De L'Amour
10. La Lionne Et L'Elephant
11. Salammbo
12. Trouble-Fete
13. Jeune Sauvage