For Belgium, there's extra cool points in Plastic Bertrand's "Ca Plane Pour Moi".

I'd go with some krautrock for Germany, which isn't that obscure for music geeks but would give your son more cool points: Can's "Spoon," Faust's "The Sad Skinhead," or Neu!'s "Hallogallo."

For Norway, black metal is your best bet: Emporer's "Sworn" would be my recommendation.

For Sweden, current popster Jens Lekman's "Happy Birthday, Dear Friend Lisa" is one of the most charming indie-pop songs of the decade.

For Greece, composer Iannis Xenakis (who grew up in France, but lived most of his life in Greece) has had his ballet "Kraanerg" covered by DJ Shadow.

I don't know if they were Czech or Slovakian, but Czechoslovakia's Plastic People of the Universe were a major figure at the end of the Cold War, often associated with Vaclav Havel, and not a bad band, to boot.

I may be out of semi-obscurities here.

Zebda: Cool song. Lame video (although it has a brief cameo with "Lucien" from Amélie ).

Willy Denzey: Wait did I call the other video lame? This is a bad imitation of a bad rap video. In short, hi-larious.

For Belgium, there's extra cool points in Plastic Bertrand's "Ca Plane Pour Moi".

I totally forgot about that. I'll also send that via buffistarawk2.

Cool. The idea of French and rap leads me also to recommend MC Solaar. And Serge Gainsbourg's "Requiem Pour un Con" is a much-sampled bass-and-drum minimalist funk workout.

MC Solaar is awesome. And one of my celebrity sightings when I lived in Paris.

I actually figured he was too well known to include, but I could certainly send some of his stuff. My favorites are "Caroline" and "Bouge de là". I just looked on You Tube and his "Nouveau Western" video there has translated lyrics with it.

He may be too well known, I don't know. I was trying to think of semi-obscurities that Laura's son may connect with.

I just sent (finally) "Brazil" and "Fa Ce-La" (the 7" version) to buffistarawk2, and am working on a few more Feelies songs before sending some Eurotrash for Laura. Are people interested in the Feelies just interested in B-sides or album tracks, too?

MC Solaar lyrics are a thing of beauty, from the cultural references to plays on words. My favorite? The chorus of Caroline "Je suis l'as de trèfle qui pique ton cœur, Caro-Line…" where he manages to use all four card suits.

I speak no French, but I like his delivery.

I never saw it, but I believe his "La Belle et le bad boy" was used in the series finale of Sex and the City.

BTW, do you know if The Trypes ep The Explorers Hold ever came out on cd?