Orwell

French band Orwell emerged in the early 2000s as a comforting yet sophisticated presence that blended indie and baroque pop, recalling acts like <a href="spotify:artist:3Rj0tDHoX7C5NFq5DKIpHt">Stereolab</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1xU878Z1QtBldR7ru9owdU">Phoenix</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5JUYSPkis2Mk6HUbmMqk1m">Sean Lennon</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:1ahN3WDDULKaAQs7ZUrGNP">Sloan</a>. After releasing their 2002 debut LP, Following Days, the Jérôme Didelot-fronted project followed with two more French releases before issuing their English-language crossover Continental in 2011. 2015's Exposition Universelle closed out the decade for the group, with Parcelle Brillante arriving in 2020.

Orwell was founded by frontman Jérôme Didelot in 2000 in Nancy, France. Along with original members Thierry Bellia and Alexandre Longo (both of whom went on to form bands of their own, <a href="spotify:artist:7JBOdpSaBHLpbSwkd72upG">Variety Lab</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:5yUtzFVpUdN8UtyZzDD9o9">Cascadeur</a>, respectively), Didelot released Orwell's first effort, a self-titled EP, that same year. After issuing recordings in Japan and France, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Hidden+Agenda%22">Hidden Agenda</a> released their 2002 debut full-length, Following Days (Des Lendemains), which featured contributions from Mederic Gontier of fellow French band <a href="spotify:artist:7N2ukNg3vSS0LE1xqSaO2j">Tahiti 80</a> and multi-instrumentalist <a href="spotify:artist:4PwseIxW9scQG0S8ZxM5MK">Fugu</a>. A pair of albums were released in the following years -- L'Archipel (2005) and Le Genie Humain (2007) -- as well as a compilation, Nouvelles D'Hier (2009), which was aimed at wooing an international audience.

The group's English-language breakthrough, Continental, appeared in 2011. The LP included Krautrock flavor and some German singing, as well as the first instance that an Orwell album was performed almost entirely in English. Four years and an EP later, they returned with their fifth album, Exposition Universelle. In addition to Didelot, the updated Orwell lineup included Jacques Tellitocci (vibraphone, vocals), Regis Nesti (drums), and Emmanuel Harang (bass), who were joined by flutist and pianist Renaldo Greco. They closed the decade with the collaborative Paris-Tokyo Single Club with Milk's Taro Umebayashi.

2020 was busier than usual for Didelot and Orwell. First, they released the full-length Parcelle Brillante, featuring guests Armelle Pioline and Sugar Me. The LP was followed by the covers EP Sunny Songs for Winter, which featured takes on <a href="spotify:artist:1SQRv42e4PjEYfPhS0Tk9E">the Kinks</a>' "Mr. Pleasant" and <a href="spotify:artist:3oDbviiivRWhXwIE8hxkVV">the Beach Boys</a>' "The Man with All the Toys." ~ Neil Z. Yeung