Vieniste
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Vieniste

Santa Monica, California, United States

Santa Monica, California, United States
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This band has not uploaded any videos

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""Four songs without flaws""

Sometimes it’s hard to explain why we like the things we do. A movie or song is rarely enjoyable for logical, demonstrable reasons. It’s even common to enjoy things whose flaws or shortcomings are obvious. Who among us doesn’t have a favorite movie even though it may be corny? Artistic merit and entertainment value are not linked. For this reason it is frequently easier to explain disliking something rather than liking it.
This brings me to Vieniste and their self-titled EP. I don’t mean that Vieniste is corny or lacking artistic merit. But defending their aural goodness will be difficult because all four songs are sung in French. Four is, oddly enough, the same number of words in my French vocabulary. Bonjour, mon freir. Merde. That’s about it. Vieniste’s songs could either be the most astonishing poetry ever set to music or they could explain that parents just don’t understand, I would never know the difference.
What I do know is that singer L’Inconnue de Venise has a playful vocal style and an endearing Debbie Harry quality to her voice. “Le Vide et le Desir,” the first and probably best song, has a dreamy carousel music feel to it. The title translates to “Void and the Desire” (I know someone taking a French class) so the dream is not likely always a pleasant one.
“Un Mec” (“A Guy”), is slightly more rock style, think No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak,” but it still has the airy feel from the first track. It also has accordion, an instrument that is severely underutilized in American music. Don’t be frightened off by its presence. Vieniste uses the accordion as a backing instrument, it never carries the songs, it only bolsters and improves upon their sound.
For non-French speakers, Vieniste’s music and the quality of L’Inconue de Venise’s voice will carry them through this short set of songs. For those who can understand French, hopefully the lyrical comprehension only adds to the experience. And even if the lyrics are bad, there’s always a chance they will be so bad they circle around and become good. As for the sound of the vocals and the musicianship, that’s just plain good. The EP may only be four songs, but they are four songs without flaws.
Dennis Mersmann-MuzikReviews.com Staff

April 29, 2009 - MuzikReviews.com


"****"

An excellent piece of work. The tunes are melodious yet sharp. The blend of voice and instrumentation provides the listener with a complete and compelling musical experience. - Customer review on CD Baby


"*****"

Wunderschön französisch!!! - Customer review, iTunes Germany


Discography

EP "Vieniste" released in November 2008, published by Eel Garden Music. All songs written and produced by Erich Gobel and Nanette Julian.

Photos

Bio

A foreign voice and a native producer team up to write and record a set of French songs, creating a unique new sound that mixes accordion, baritone guitar, standup bass, and percussion under a fragile, emotive vocal with tongue-in-cheek lyrics and compositions. From jazzy waltz over Pulp Fictionesque surf to loungy dreamscapes, their debut EP, released in November 2008, takes you on a ride and features some of the world's most distinguished musicians. Vieniste are currently working on a full-length album, coming soon to conjure your senses.

Julian Coryell just directed a music video for Vieniste's newest tune "La Reine MeChante" aka The Mean Queen--scroll down for the youtube link!

"Le Vide et le Desir" made the semi-finals in the International Songwriting Competition (ISC) 2009. The song was also chosen for the opening credits of the upcoming film "5000 Seconds".

Vieniste's songs have been featured on Radio Crystal Blue and are now playing on Outbound Radio's Easy Mix Channel, on Kanal Jazz and Kanal Urban Paris as well as on mvyradio Local Music Cafe, WomensRadio and Banana Peel Radio. Vieniste has been featured by and is proud member of Women's Radio Review.

Vieniste are performing live with MMO on bass, Nicolas de Gaulejac on drums, Rick Musallam on guitar and Anders Mou on the accordion.