5 Songs I Love w/ Naud

Following the release of his latest album Un Gars Bian, Flex caught up with French alternative pop artist Naud to find out what influences his eclectic sound. If you enjoy Naud's picks, be sure to check out Un Gars Bian at the end of the article.

1. Cage The Elephant - Ain't No Rest For The Wicked

   
   

How to do storytelling the right way for me! I love good lyrics and this song depicts so well the characters it features. If you close your eyes, you're already amidst the shady and frank crooks that makes this tune so iconic. Also production is amazing, a perfect blend of modern effects and classic rock.

2. Jamiroquai - Virtual Insanity

   
   

I could have picked any of their B-Sides or bootlegs since this is the band that got me into music and that I literally devoured all of their early releases. Virtual Insanity is "the perfect pop song" for me, well written, cool lyrics, original chords, a melodic bass line, creative sound design and effortless flow! It shows that creating easy-sounding songs is hard.

3. Queen - Don't Try Suicide

   
   

 This is a cheeky one. I love the fact that Queen used their wit to create a song that try to tackle a very hard topic (suicide) with humor to make listeners feel better about their lives. It's all music is about for me. Channeling your bad experiences into a song, twist them and create something positive!

4. Daft Punk - Crescendolls

   
   

I'm French after all! French Touch and resampling are such a big part of my sound. I like these thick, unapologetic basslines, these not-so-elegant, in-your-face drums that match so well with more soulful samples and sounds. Daft Punk and Justice are definitely a big inspiration and taught me that France-made music isn't just about romantic singer-songwriters.

5. Andy Shauf - Long Throw

   
   

Such a classy tune. Each sound is tasty and beautiful, and the chords are very ambiguous (and made me struggle to learn the song a lot). Andy's singing is so pure and bare on that song that it makes you feel the weight of each word. Beautiful song and album!

Listen to Un Gars Bian: