Indochine

After enjoying enormous chart success during the new wave era, French pop group Indochine spent more than decade grappling with commercial frustration, roster defections, and even the death of a founding member. Only in 1999 did their fortunes turn yet again, and three years later the band capped off its comeback with a number one single, "J'ai Demandé à la Lune." The roots of Indochine lie in a newspaper advertisement placed by singer/guitarist Nicola Sirkis and answered by Dominique Nicolas, a journeyman guitarist with a series of short-lived punk bands under his belt. After writing enough songs to sustain a live performance, they recruited Sirkis' twin brother, Stéphane, to play keyboards while friend Dimitri Bodiansky was installed on saxophone. On September 29, 1981, Indochine made their professional debut at the Paris café Rose Bonbon, and the following February issued their first single, "Dizzindence Politik," a minor hit that paved the way for the EP L'Aventurier. When the title song emerged as a breakout hit in the summer of 1983, Indochine was appointed the essence of French new wave, and their melancholy yet infectious electro-pop found favor with consumers as well as critics, who at year's end awarded the group the coveted Bus d'Acier award. With their 1983 sophomore effort, Le Péril Jaune, Indochine embraced the Far Eastern influences implicit in their name, and with the singles "Kao Bang" and "Miss Paramount" vaulted to new commercial heights, effectively launching what the media dubbed "Indo-mania." The 1985 release 3 was nevertheless Indochine's watershed moment. Hailed as a masterpiece by critics and a generation-defining statement by fans, the album was a hit throughout much of western Europe, galvanized by a series of smash singles including "Canary...