Benjamin Biolay

Like Serge Gainsbourg, French indie-pop star Benjamin Biolay is more a songwriter than a vocalist (with both, you often uncover their melodic strengths when they write for others). Also like Gainsbourg, Biolay is a playful lyricist and a master musical craftsman who can turn any perceived weakness into an artistic strength. On his fifth solo album, Trash Yeye, Biolay is still murmuring melancholy lyrics and bouncing acerbic chants across his artfully constructed, baroque folk rock (the man is as much an arranger as composer). Try "De Beaux Souvenirs," "Bien Avant" and "Dans Le Merco Benz."