With a stable of catchy, sunny folk tracks, Peru’s Francois Peglau is some kind of cross between a happy-version of Bob Dylan and a lo-fi Stephin Merritt. He’s not a classic folk musician in any sense. Peglau mutes his microphones, buries his finger-picked acoustic guitars under a wishy-washy layer of lo-fi fuzz, and sprinkles in the occassional falsetto back-up chorus. His tracks are both of another era — that classic, ’60s folk era — and are as collaged and produced as anything of this era, throwing in drum-machines, retro horn samples, and flickering little claps.
A silly Peglau
On “Who Wants To Go,” Peglau can’t help using little twists of funk guitar and on “I’ll Never Be Alain Delon,” he ropes in the listener with a big band sample that transitions into a drum machine. (When listening to this stuff, one wants to exclaim, “How Clever!”)
What I love most: Unlike so many morose folk singers content to sing a few notes over minor keys, Peglau’s voice goes uber high and sinks down low. He’s not afraid to go for a real melody, instead of letting the guitar do all the talking.
Born in Peru, Peglau’s last project was with the indie outfit, Les Fu**in Sombreros. “I’ve been through many musical styles,” he told the Spanish language PaperBlog, “My first band, The Ghetto, fused ska, cumbia, salsa and new wave.” Two years ago, Peglau transplanted to London with his wife, and every few months puts out a new song — recorded in a mini studio in their apartment, which he also shoots a video for. “What I’m trying now is to make things simple and personal as possible,” he said. “I’m trying to make my music and videos reflect the people behind them. We are just people who are doing music for fun and we say what we mean.”
Peglau, recording. Photo Credit: Ernesto Toledano
With no official backing band, he compiles the group wherever he tours. “While the process is very stressful, since you have to assemble the portfolio in a short time,” he said, “The result has always been good. The shows are always fun and chaotic.”
As yet unsigned, Peglau gives away all his songs for free, and we’ve got videos below. Download a mini album with his newest, best stuff:
The Tracklist:
01. I’ll never be Alain Delon
02. Spring Lovers Song (Si Tu Quieres)
03. If You want their way of life
04. Sundays (Ukulele Song)
05. I’m down
06. Who wants to go?
07. One minute to midnight dream (so sad)
Download it here.
Here’s his newest video below. We’re in love with this song: “One Minute to Midnight (So Sad)”
“Spring Lovers Song”:
“Ill never be Alain Delon”:
“Who Wants to Go” — set in Morocco:
