Brigada Flores Magon
Anges gardiens

Don't ever think that Oi! only existed in Italy!

This time, however, we’re not crossing the Channel but heading to France for Brigada Flores Magon, who in 2001 released an EP containing some real Oi! gems. The cover leaves no room for misunderstanding: brass knuckles, knives, batons, newspapers talking about strikes and barricades, ACAB, antifascist, and if I'm not mistaken, even a metal magazine.

"Partisans" opens by paying its debt to ska music and immediately imposes itself with all the humor that French-sung street punk can contain. Jokes aside, it’s a heavyweight song followed by "Lève-toi," with a fantastic and fierce chorus that truly reeks of alleys full of hatred. There’s more ska flavor in "Pour la Pire," which keeps the quality high and leads into the title track, a well-constructed song that knows when to speed up and when to drop that typically punk chorus – perfect for pogoing and pumping your fist in the air. "Paria" starts with a very heavy metal oriented tone but soon reveals its truly street punk soul, with roaring vocals and lyrics spat out soaked in rage, with a timbre and pronunciation in the singing that clearly distinguish Francophone bands from Anglophone or Italian ones—much like what happens with Japanese heavy metal bands, known for their distinctive pronunciation and the resulting oddity of certain passages. There’s a definitely noteworthy solo in "Paria" and, once again, plenty of chants leading up to the closing track, "Porc en Bleu"; again, the way "Oi! Oi! Oi!" is shouted at the start of the song makes you smile, but after all, it’s probably the same reaction a French fan would have listening to Klasse Kriminale. The track (I don’t think you need a B2 in French to figure out the content from the title) turns out to be an excellent closing number, decisive and particularly fierce. That’s how an album ends which is surely one of the high points of French punk.

Brigada Flores Magon are the spokespeople for the outcasts of Paris, for those shady little streets, and you can really feel the atmosphere they create.

The technique is just what it takes to play Oi!, the melodic taste is there too, the riffs are spot on and the arrangements are just right. It may not be the best record of the genre, but it’s surely an excellent piece of work. Rating: 83/100.