Yelle @ The Music Box in LA, 5/21/11

It's been a week since I saw Yelle perform at The Music Box with French Horn Rebellion, just enough time to process the glory that was Julie Budet in a whirlwind of safari-themed outfits, dancing to green-red-blue lights flashing to the beat of the two giant drums on either side of the stage. French Horn Rebellion had some trouble at the start with their set, the awkwardness of a computer malfunction that led to some hilarious impromptu french horn solo-ing to the likes of Bach, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky. I wouldn't say that I was taken with their music, as they kind of proved to be somewhat average electronic musicians as soon as they fixed their equipment, playing mostly pre-produced music that all sounded the same. However, I will give them props for their ability to fight through technical difficulties and engage the crowd. Yelle, however, killed it. She always puts on the best shows, and from the looks of her Coachella set I had pretty high hopes for seeing Ms. Budet for the second time at this venue. She opened with S'etient le Soleil, on of my favorite tracks off of the new album, Safari Disco Club. I've always admired her ability to captivate an audience who, as a whole, probably doesn't have a fucking clue what she's singing about. Funny, too, because she's one of the most adorable artists out there and yet a large amount of her lyrics are quite dirty, something I also find quite hilarious and endearing as I watch the 16-year-old fans around me pretend to sing along. But I digress. The show was spectacular, a perfect combination of old and new as she danced around to tracks like "Ce jeu", "Amour du sol", and "Je veux te voir" off of 2009's Pop-Up, as well as new masterpieces like "Unillusion" and "Safari Disco Club". Regardless of your level of fluency in Francais, it's undeniable that Yelle has got something going for her that transcends cultural and language boundaries. I highly recommend buying Safari Disco Club if you haven't already, and listening to the absolutley FANTASTIC remix of Safari Disco Club included on the iTunes deluxe edition.