| Louise Attaque | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Paris, France |
| Genres | French rock Art rock Folk rock |
| Years active | 1994–2001 unofficial four-year hiatus 2005–2007 |
| Labels | Atmosphériques |
| Website | http://www.louiseattaque.com |
| Members | |
| Gaëtan Roussel (vocals, guitar) Arnaud Samuel (violin) Robin Feix (bass guitar) Alexandre Margraff (drums) |
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Louise Attaque is a French chanson/folk rock group founded in 1994. Several of the group's albums were produced by Gordon Gano, lead singer of The Violent Femmes, a band whom Louise Attaque often cites as an influence and for whom their own band is named.
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Lead singer and guitarist Gaëtan Roussel and bassist Robin Feix met in high school in Montargis. They moved to Paris after graduation where they met drummer Alexandre Margraff and formed a rock band named Caravage (after the Italian painter Caravaggio). After briefly hiring a lead guitarist, the band met violinist Arnaud Samuel while recording in a Parisian studio.
Louise Attaque was formed in 1994. The name means "Louise Attacks" in French and refers to Louise Michel, a 19th-century anarchist, and to the American rock band The Violent Femmes (which loosely translates from French as "violent women"). The Violent Femmes leader, Gordon Gano, produced Louise Attaque's self-titled debut album.
Louise Attaque was released in April 1997 to a positive critical response. Despite low initial radio airplay, the reputation of the group spread rapidly, garnering particular praise for its innovative violin-based folk/rock compositions and witty lyrics. Louise Attaque sold 2.5 million copies in France, a record for a French rock album.
It took almost three years until Louise Attaque's second album Comme On A Dit was released (in January 2000), again produced by Gordon Gano. The album sold 700,000 copies in France. In 2001, after touring for five months and appearing at various rock festivals, the band split up, explaining that they were temporarily out of inspiration and tired of the hype and pressure surrounding them.
Louise Attaque split into two different groups in 2001. Singer Gaëtan Roussel and violinist Arnaud Samuel formed Tarmac, while bassist Robin Feix and drummer Alexandre Margraff formed Ali Dragon. The goal of Tarmac was to explore the starker sounds of acoustic instruments, while Ali Dragon produced underground experimental music featuring jam sessions (mostly electro and hip hop).
The four members of the group reunited in 2003. After recording for a few weeks in the Electric Lady Studios in New York, their third album, À Plus Tard Crocodile, was released in September 2005. The title references the rock and roll song See You Later Alligator.
À Plus Tard Crocodile was received as a departure from Louise Attaque's previous works, with lighter and more varied content.