Papa Noel came down the chimney early at Chez Skunkeye! I’ve been digging Jean-Louis Murat’s latest, A Bird On a Poire, a collaboration with The Elysian Field’s Jennifer Charles and guitarist Fred Jimenez, and also out of the blue, a solid new offering from Françoise Hardy, Tant de Belles Choses.

Papa Noel also arrived last night in the form of party guests who had their dates mixed up and arrived a week early last night! I was in the midst of decorating – painting a huge Day of the Dead Santa Claus to be exact – and was caught by surprise and wasn’t prepared for company but it was nice to have visitors all the same. Ay, these holidays are so festive!

The title of JL Murat’s latest project, A Bird on a Poire, suggests Leonard Cohen style melancholy but actually the album is a tremendously buoyant affair. Namely because of Jennifer Charles’ involvement I was highly anticipating this album and went through hell and high water and great cost to get my hands on it (I will spare you the details)! That said, I was not disappointed, and A Bird on a Poire quickly qualifies as one this year’s must-have albums! The spirit of late sixties Anglo-Gallic pop lovingly permeates this project and this is a truly enjoyable road trip! The collaborators clearly had fun putting this together and we get to hear a lighter, more playful Jennifer Charles – her “Monsieur Craindait les Demoiselles” is brilliant and beautiful and evokes Jane Birkin and Françoise Hardy of a certain era. Points of reference for this playful affair include Serge Gainsbourg, Jules et Jim, Georges Moustaki, Ye-Ye, Phil Spector, Petula Clark, The Beatles, and The Beach Boys. I guess the overall feel is like a French counterpart to a Jon Brion (Aimee Mann, Magnolia, Eternal Sunshine, Fiona Apple, etc) production. There is not a miss on this electrifying album – satisfaction guaranteed. Essential for those of us longing for a European vacation but can’t afford it and better yet the ultimate soundtrack for a certain kind of escapist when time-traveling is not an option. And I noticed Tower just stocked a few copies this week in the Import section so you don’t have to through an international logistical nightmare to procure it like I did.

I’m a Françoise Hardy completist and despite being disappointed somewhat by recent efforts to capitalize on her vogue quotient – too many "hip" producers - Air, Bernard Butler, Malcolm McLaren, etc and a lack of direction/vision lend to murky efforts - I nonetheless grab anything new that she is attached to. Tout de Belles Choses is perhaps Hardy’s most solid release in, um, twenty years. Perhaps its because she’s working with her son, Thomas Dutronc, the product of her fabulous union with Jacques Dutronc, and it appears he has her best interests at heart. Unlike most of her contemporaries, Hardy is a gifted and respected songwriter and while delivering a good cover – she’s particularly a natural with the Everly Brothers songbook - also presented spellbinding self-penned material. And through the years she continues to possess a warm, assured voice.

Not that this effort doesn’t have its meandering moments and indulges on occasion Hardy’s jazz balladry leanings (“Grand Motel”) – the Rod Stewart Syndrome I call it. But overall this is a return to form of the Françoise Hardy that is only right and natural. Benjamin Biolay contributes a track but its kind of middlin'. The compositions and the production would not be out of place on her melancholy, trippy tours de force La Question and Comment Te Dire Adieu. This is a classy act indeed and a welcome re-invention – the lady proves herself still vital. And it holds itself very well in the face of recent efforts from obvious progeny Keren Ann, Françoise Breut, and Autour De Lucie. Timeless and bittersweet and good for those clichéd rainy day afternoons.

Hells Bells my shack is a mess and I got a party to organize!