Poni Hoax

All Music Guide:

Although French electronica has been inarguably cool since the rise of Air in the mid-'90s, Poni Hoax are likely the first band to fuse the sophistication of Gallic dance beats with solid rock & roll attitude (imagine if the Strokes really were as cool and debonair as they pretend to be) and a soupçon of the lyrical perversity and overall suavity last seen in French pop when Serge Gainsbourg was at the height of his powers. The four musicians in Poni Hoax met while studying at the Conservatoire Nationale de Musique in Paris; upon leaving school, keyboardist Laurent Bardainne, guitarist Nicolas Villebrin, bassist Arnaud Roulin, and drummer Vincent Taeger continued experimental rehearsals on their own time while working as studio and tour band musicians. A meeting between Bardainne and the stylish Franco-Cambodian singer Nicolas Ker in a local bar brought the band a charismatic frontman in the camp-cool mode of early Bryan Ferry; the patronage of popular dance producer and remixer Jakim Bouaziz brought the band to the influential electronic indie Tigersushi Records. Poni Hoax's debut EP, Budapest, was released in the fall of 2005. Their self-titled debut album, with a properly faux-decadent cover photo of a nude young girl gazing pensively at, of all things, a live owl, was released in the summer of 2006, with a remix EP following the next year. In 2008, Poni Hoax released their sophomore effort, Images of Sigrid, on Tigersushi France.

Wikipedia:

Poni Hoax are a French electronic music act.

Biography [edit]

The four instrumentalists of Poni Hoax met in the Conservatoire Nationale de Musique in Paris. After graduating, they formed Poni Hoax with Nicholas Ker who they met in a local bar. Poni Hoax first drew attention in 2006 with its debut self-titled album, produced by Joakim on his label Tigersushi. The record surprised people with its electro-rock sound and quickly asserted fame for the band in France and abroad. The album included the singles "She's on the Radio" and "Budapest". Budapest ranked in the "Top 100" of Pitchfork in 2006, and became a smash hit in clubs all over Europe. Since then, the band has been remixed many times by DJ's worldwide. Poni Hoax have stated that the album was slightly rushed for vocals due to lack of experience. The album cover features a nude woman with an owl, which was censored for one iTunes release by darkening the original photograph. Despite the success of Budapest, the album flopped on sales, producing little to support the band.

The band is heralded for their unique sound that comes from having two keyboardists, Arnaud Roulin and Laurent Bardainne, combined with a more traditional pop/rock rhythmic provided by Nicolas Villebrun on guitar, and Vincent Taeger on drums and percussion. Poni Hoax have listed The Doors and The Rolling Stones as the only influences the entire band enjoys listening to.

Poni Hoax released a more successful album in 2008: Images Of Sigrid. Some compared the electro energy of Daft Punk, a few notes of Bowie, and Ian Curtis to the voice of Nicolas Ker (to whom he takes strong influence from), plus a dash of David Byrne-esque funk in the instrumentation. "Faces In The Water," the 13-minute conclusion to the album, received mixed consumer reviews from places like iTunes and Amazon, some considering it boring and unnecessary, and some considering it a breath of fresh air. The slower and softer tunes evoke Nick Cave, and the album undergoes all the influences of the band. The album's concept revolves around Sigrid, a "presence" who is always in concerts and dance halls, and always in a good mood. The band has stated that they tried to maintain that light air while recording the second album. Also, they found the recording process went much smoother than on their first album because they had more experience.

The single "Antibodies" quickly became a radio hit and the controversial music video clip directed by Danakil received an award. It recently appeared in the video game Rock Band 3, getting popularity for the band from english-speaking audiences. From 2008 to 2010, the band played in major cities across the globe (New York, Montreal, London, Oslo, Moscow, Toronto), including a sold out concert in Paris and the opening for Franz Ferdinand in London.

We Are The Bankers, a new single, came out in 2010 on Abracadabra Records. The band broke away from Tigersushi because they didn't think it fit their "sound".

Years after the previous album came out, with Nicholas Ker joining a few side projects along the way, The band announced that a new album, A State Of War, would come out in February 2013. They wanted it to have a false sense of happiness, with extremely dark lyrics and undertones. It will be signed to Pan European Recording instead of Abracadabra records. Early 2013, the release date was pushed back to March to allow time for the final touches.