Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Modern French accordion folk-punk poetry at its finest, November 27, 2001
An album stressing accordion-driven folk rock that features guest rapping by God and samples not only a cow but the Paris metro? This isn't so much an acquired taste but a gateway to another dimension.I first heard "C'est la vie" on a tinny tape player while riding in my friend's 2CV through the North of France, and I immediately loved it -- the combination of rapping French lyrics over an accordian-drenched folk-rock background is probably the most satisfyingly original music I have heard in a long time. This being an essentially Parisian album (not only in references but in the local slang), everybody I know in Paris has at least heard of Java, and those who have listened to the music have made sure that they got a copy of "Hawaii." The album is split about 50/50 between jangly, bouncy tunes and slow, brooding melancholy -- but for my tastes, faster Java is definitely better Java. Standouts include the self-explanatory opening manifesto "Sex Accordeon et Alcool," the hilarious "Dieu" (in which God shows up ready to party), the kinetic, name-(of metro)-dropping "Metro," and "C'est la vie," which is a musical smile on the face. Following in the footsteps of the "Nuggets" series, this is modern French accordion folk-punk at its finest. One moderate drawback for strict Anglophones is actually one of the album's biggest draws in France -- the Dylanesque lyrics are rife with plays on words, clever slang, and even plays on clever slang. While this sort of street poetry delights Parisians (lots of specifically local words are used), it is a safe bet that even if you have studied French for years, you will still have no hope of penetrating all the allusions, references, and wordplay (even Parisians have major trouble with it, and there is a lot of rewinding to figure things out). That said, "Hawaii" is an impressive sonic masterpiece that stands out even without full knowledge of French, and the music itself is enough to justify picking up this disc. The enhanced version of this disc includes some remixes of "Metro" which are interesting, but not as good as the original. There is also a music video, but I haven't been able to get it to work. If you are intrigued enough by the album to have read this far (and how the hell DID you get here?), you should buy "Hawaii." There is nothing else like it -- which is a bit of a shame.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Modern French accordion folk-punk poetry at its finest, June 20, 2001
By A Customer
An album stressing accordion-driven folk rock that features guest rapping by God and samples not only a cow but the Paris metro? Get ready for something a little different...I first heard "C'est la vie" on a tinny tape player while riding in my friend's 2CV through the North of France, and I immediately loved it -- the combination of rapping French lyrics over an accordian-drenched folk-rock background is probably the most satisfyingly original music I have heard in a long time. This being an essentially Parisian album (not only in references but in local language), everybody I know in Paris has at least heard of Java, and those who have listened to the music have made sure that they got a copy of "Hawaii." The album is split about 50/50 between jangly, bouncy tunes and slow, brooding melancholy, and for my tastes ...faster Java is definitely better Java. Standouts include the self-explanatory opening manifesto "Sex Accordeon et Alcool," the hilarious "Dieu" (in which God shows up ready to party), the kinetic, name-(of metro)-dropping "Metro," and "C'est la vie," which is a musical smile on the face. Following in the footsteps of the "Nuggets" series, this is modern French accordion folk-punk at its finest. One moderate drawback for strict Anglophones is actually one of the album's biggest draws in France -- the Dylanesque lyrics are rife with plays on words, clever slang, and even plays on clever slang. While this sort of street poetry delights Parisians (lots of specifically local words are used), it is a safe bet that even if you have studied French for years, you will still have no hope of penetrating all the allusions, references, and wordplay (even Parisians have major trouble with it, and there is a lot of rewinding to figure things out). That said, "Hawaii" is an impressive sonic masterpiece that stands out even without full knowledge of French. .... If you are intrigued enough by the album to have read this far, you should buy "Hawaii." There is nothing else like it -- which is a bit of a shame.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Clever, quirky, controversial and fun, August 22, 2007
I just picked this up a couple of days ago, and I'm already addicted to several of the tunes. Although I find the squeeze-box rhythms and cabaret instrumentation compelling and fun, it's actually the lyrics that are the main draw. As a French professor, even I am a bit overwhelmed and amazed at the level of wordplay here. All the same, the gist of the message is easy enough to grasp. So even if some of the lyrics get lost in translation, the songs can still be enjoyed on a more basic level. After all, you still get the point of "Sex, accordéon, et alcool," even if you don't catch all the "alcoholic as astronaut" references (e.g. Luke/Johnny SkyWalker). And "Le Poil" is bound to get you hopping even if you don't understand that it's all about the singer's refusal to manscape. Then there's the irreverent and timely "Je voudrais être un chihuahua," a twisted tale about a guy seeking revenge on divas who french kiss their pooches while turning up their noses at men. And although I have no idea why anyone would want to legalize salmonella, I love singing along with "Le Banquet des chasseurs."
The only drawback for those who don't know a word of French is that in some of the songs (e.g. "Dieu"), the tune itself may seem somewhat long and repetitive. It really doesn't go over as well if you don't have a clue what he's saying. But I still recommend the album to anyone remotely interested in French who can appreciate Java's fresh, original take on the old school chanson française. As Java says, "C'est pas de la menthe à l'eau!" Very roughly and figuratively translated, it means that this is not your grandmother's accordeon music.
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is Java's 
