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FEATURED REVIEW:
|

For their 12th album, the Red Hot Chili Peppers
welcome back guitarist John Frusciante, who had been absent
for a decade. They also reunite with legendary producer Rick
Rubin, who was absent on the last album,
The Getaway, released six years ago. All these reunions seem
to bring a renewed sense of fun to the band. However, the maturity
of the last decade is still there. Rather than a string of hits as
in the past, the band offers a coherent whole with elaborate
arrangements for 17 songs totaling 73 minutes. There are some
lighter funk elements at various points, but the whole thing remains
serious, perhaps a little too serious. In fact, despite some good
moments ("Black Summer", "Poster Child", "The Heavy Wing"), the
album seems a bit too long and could have been tightened up to keep
the fun going throughout. Without being uninteresting, the very
elaborate Unlimited Love might repel many of their fans who
will rather turn to their past hits.
Music Videos:
« Black Summer » -
« These Are the Ways » |
  

 |
FEATURED NEW
ARTIST:
|
Hailing from New York City and Athens, Georgia,
Night Palace comes to us with their debut album. Diving Rings
presents a mix of alternative rock and dream pop, all based on the
catchy melodies and beautiful voice of Avery Draut. The
sweetness of a song like "Into the Wake, Mystified" may remind one
of Alvvays or Cate Le Bon. The string section on
"Enjoy the Moon!" is reminiscent of pop music from another era, as
far back as the Beach Boys'
Pet Sounds. The sophisticated chamber pop arrangements are
superb for wrapping around the more rocking moments of the record.
The songs on Diving Rings would certainly work in their
simplest form, but the arrangements here add a fascinating layer to
the album. This is an incomparable first record for Night Palace, a
band to watch closely in the future.
Music Videos:
« Enjoy the Moon! » -
« Titania » |
  ½

|
MAY 13-19:
|

Ranee Lee –
Because You Loved Me
On Because You Loved Me, jazz singer Ranee
Lee takes on Celine Dion's repertoire, reinterpreting some of
her greatest hits. She covers these huge pop hits in a very
different style, often a complete reconstruction of the original as
even the melody gets lost in the somewhat funky jazz ensemble. To
help her in her mission to revive Celine's songs, Ranee turned to
her trusted collaborator, pianist and producer Taurey Butler,
who worked on new arrangements. However, there was a significant
loss on this album as it was her first recording without her
husband, guitarist Richard Ring, who died of cancer in 2018.
Ranee features the hits "My Heart Will Go On", "I'm Alive", "All By
Myself", "The Power of Love", and the title track. But it also
features a medley of "House of the Rising Sun / Je crois", plus
"Nature Boy", popularized by Nat King Cole, a favorite of
both Ranee and Celine. Thanks to some jazz improvisations, the
nine-track album still spans 55 minutes. It offers a totally
different way to rediscover Celine Dion's greatest hits. |
Justin Time /
SIX
  ½


|
MAY 6-12:
|

Five years after the disappointing
Everything Now, the Montreal band is back with its sixth
album. Arcade Fire manages to find its bearings on WE, with
an emotional album greatly influenced by the pandemic, but which
also contains some very good moments of entertainment ("Age of
Anxiety II (Rabbit Hole)", "The Lightning II"). Also note the
presence of a renowned collaborator in Peter Gabriel who
accompanies the band on "Unconditional II (Race and Religion)" (a
song that puts Régine Chassagne at the forefront). The first
half of the record, consisting of the suites "Age of Anxiety" and
"End of the Empire", is a bit more personal, while the second half,
with the suites "The Lightning" and "Unconditional", is more of
their fun-loving band work. This second half inevitably takes us
back to the sounds of
Funeral and
Neon Bible. The album is concluding with the soft acoustic
title track. The production of Nigel Godrich, Win Butler
and Régine Chassagne turns out to be rather successful, which
reconciles us with their past, even if the album still contains some
unevenness among the 10 tracks.
Music Videos:
« The Lightning I, II » -
« Unconditional I (Lookout Kid) » |
  ½

 |

Sigrid – How to Let Go
The young Norwegian female singer comes back with
her sophomore album, three years after
Sucker Punch. Sigrid gains in maturity and presents a record
even more solid than her previous one, thanks to high quality
compositions that are also refreshing. She offers positive dance pop
songs as well as mid-tempo ballads with grandiose arrangements.
"Risk of Getting Hurt" is a cross between Sia and Natasha
Bedingfield, while the guitar in the opening "It Gets Dark" is
reminiscent of KT Tunstall. As for the acoustic "Grow", it
carries us into Coldplay territory. Finally, with "Bad Life",
Sigrid even allows herself a duet with Oli Sykes from
Bring Me the Horizon. How to Let Go is an extremely
effective album that will certainly make Sigrid proud for many years
to come.
Music Videos:
« Mirror » -
« Burning Bridges » - « It
Gets Dark » -
« Bad Life » |
   

 |
MAY 1-5:
|

This is the first recording by I Musici de
Montréal for ATMA Classique, and their first record in 10 years. It
features the response to the devastation of World War II, "Metamorphosen:
Study for 23 Solo Strings, TrV 290" from German composer Richard
Strauss (1864-1949), and the beautiful "Symphony No. 4, Los
Angeles" from Estonian composer Arvo Pärt (1935-...). Pärt
describes his symphony as "a salute to the great power of the human
spirit and human dignity". Conducted by Jean-Marie Zeitouni,
the chamber orchestra recorded the two works several months apart
due to the global pandemic. They succeed in touching listeners
deeply with their tributes to beauty and their timeless messages of
hope. All of this is masterfully performed by an orchestra with
nearly 40 years of experience and great talent, for a superb album! |
ATMA Classique
   ½


|

Toronto's Lydia Persaud introduces her sophomore
album, three years after
Let Me Show
You. The singer-songwriter shows
all her talent on Moody31, with groovy jazz and sounds
reminiscent of 1970s soul music. The tone and sound of "Let Me Be
There For You" and "Think of Me" even reference Marvin Gaye's
classic "Here My Dear" with a subtle nod. Produced by Scott
McCannell (who also plays bass), the album features some of the
best musicians on the Toronto scene: Christine Bougie
(guitar), Chino de Villa (percussion and drums), Ben
McDonald (keyboards and backing vocals), Kyla Charter
(backing vocals) and James Baley (backing vocals). Lydia's
ukulele is also an integral part of Moody31. In addition to
the effective grooves, the melodies are sublime and the eight songs
present Lydia's unique personal stories that she interprets in her
beautiful, sultry voice. The only problem with the record is that at
only 20 minutes, it's more of an EP that should have been presented
as such, to avoid some frustration down the line. |
Next Door /
SIX
  ½


|
april:
|

This is already the sixth album for Charlotte
Emma Aitchison (aka Charli XCX) and she's not even 30 yet. After
albums of alternative pop music, Charli XCX takes more than ever a
mainstream direction on Crash, her last record for Atlantic
Records. She now fully embraces her pop star status with influences
from the early 1990s and the turn of the year 2000. The production
is huge, but the creativity is still fully there, a mix that works
well for Charli, especially on "New Shapes" (with Christine and
the Queens and Caroline Polachek). On "Yuck," she
refreshes the sound of the late 1980s, while "Used to Know Me"
includes a sample of Robin S.'s "Show Me Love" from 1993.
"Beg For You" (with Rina Sawayama) incorporates September's
"Cry for You" and Milk Inc.'s "Don't Cry", so Charli is
particularly adept at revisiting a repertoire from another era while
adding her own creative touch. The result is an extremely enjoyable
danceable pop album that will appeal to nostalgic fans of the 1980s
and 1990s, as well as to fans of current and original pop music.
(April 2022 Featured Review)
Music Videos:
« Good Ones » -
« New Shapes » -
« Beg For You » -
« Baby » -
« Every Rule » |
  ½

 |
Manela – Éphémère
Manela is a Quebec jazz quartet formed by
Marie Neige Lavigne (violin), Bernard Falaise (guitar),
Jean Félix Mailloux (double bass) and Pierre Tanguay
(drums). Éphémère is their debut album and features
improvisations, beautiful melodies, efficient rhythms, as well as
African and Indian influences. The nine original pieces are
compositions by Marie Neige Lavigne, the instigator of the project.
She is a violinist and composer with more than 20 years of
experience and a founding member of Cordâme. Manela offers a
beautiful jazz album, which will certainly be appreciated by many
fans of the genre.
(April 2022 Featured New Artist) |
Malasartes
  ½

|
In 2016, Angel Forrest released
Angel's 11, an album of collaborations with 11 virtuoso
guitarists. She's doing it again six years later, but this time with
11 of her favorite male and female vocalists. Her first spontaneous
choice was Harry Manx, whose talent she admired but had never
worked with. He sings with Angel on "Gypsy Heart". Other
collaborations include Ricky Paquette, Rob Lutes,
Reney Ray, Dawn Tyler Watson, Jonas Tomalty, and
her husband, D. Columbus (Denis Coulombe). All these
artists give another perspective to these new compositions by Angel
Forrest, which are inspired by current events: police violence on
blacks, domestic violence, effects of the pandemic on youth, etc.
Even before the release of the record, we were able to discover a
first country-blues single, "My Favourite", with D. Columbus. Here
is an effective and pleasant record from Angel Forrest.
(April 2022) |
Ad Litteram
  

|

The English band Ibibio Sound Machine is back
with its fourth album. Electricity offers again a great mix
of West African funk and disco with electronic beats sometimes pop,
but often more underground than in the past. The afro-futurist
collective asked for the first time the help of outside producers in
Hot Chip (Al Doyle and Joe Goddard) who allowed
them to reorient their style a bit towards electro / new wave music
a la Kraftwerk. The first song, "Protection From Evil" gives
a very good idea of that. Female singer Eno Williams
alternates between her native language (Ibibio) and English, and
this will be the case throughout the record. The title track
includes robotized vocals and electronic drums, but with a pop-soul
melody. As for "Afo Ken Doko Mien", it is a beautiful love song with
an ambient electro texture. "All That You Want" may remind of LCD
Soundsystem with its synthesizer vibe, but quickly turns into
European electro disco music. Finally, "Something We'll Remember" is
a must-have disco anthem, perfect for the dance floor. All in all,
Electricity presents a superb blend of energetic dance music,
creativity, and diverse cultures. The whole thing is both varied and
coherent, accessible and underground. This is a very creative album
from Ibibio Sound Machine, certainly their best one until now.
(April 2022)
Music Videos:
« Electricity » -
« Protection From Evil » |
  ½

 |

Spiritualized – Everything
Was Beautiful
After 30 years of career, the English band comes
to us with its ninth album. If 2018's
And Nothing Hurt featured a somewhat psychedelic mix of
blues and gospel, Everything Was Beautiful returns to a
slightly more standard alternative rock, though the songs were
created around the same time. There are, of course, still many
creative elements on the album, in long songs that are often close
to six minutes (up to 10 minutes with the conclusion, "I'm Coming
Home Again"). Yet, despite the length of the seven tracks, they
listen beautifully and fly by at lightning speed, making for a very
enjoyable album. The band remains extremely original and experiments
a lot. They even go off on an unexpected country tangent with
"Crazy", one of the few intimate moments on the record. But the
highlight of the album remains the opening track, "Always Together
With You", a sweeping rock anthem with 1970s glam rock influences.
With Everything Was Beautiful, Spiritualized offers us
possibly their strongest album in 25 years, since the excellent
Ladies and Gentlemen... We Are Floating in Space.
(April 2022) |
  ½

 |
After bringing reggaeton to a wide audience 20
years ago, Daddy Yankee has had tremendous success, not only with
the Latin population, but around the world. Now 45 years old, the
Puerto Rican has announced that he is presenting his last album
before a well-deserved (if rather early) retirement. It remains to
be seen if this is just the famous marketing strategy of leaving to
come back in a triumphant and unexpected return. With LegenDaddy,
he still leaves by the big door with a solid album of 19 tracks and
almost 55 minutes. He once again presents unavoidable dance beats
and several potential hits, starting with "X Ultima Vez" (with
Bad Bunny), "Rumbaton", "Hot" (with Pitbull), "Zona Del
Perreo" (with Natti Natasha and Becky G) - "Agua"
(with Rauw Alejandro and Nile Rodgers), "Bombon" (with
El Alfa and Lil Jon), "La Ola", "El Abusador Del
Abusador", "Impares" and "Remix". This is a nice way to go to a
golden retirement, while leaving the place to the next generation.
(April 2022)
Music Videos:
« Rumbaton » -
« Hot » -
« Zona Del Perreo » -
« Remix » -
« Agua » -
« Bombon » -
« La Ola » -
« El Abusador Del Abusador » -
« Impares » |
  ½

|
MARCH:
|

Three years after
Head Above Water, Avril Lavigne comes back full of energy
with a very efficient album of less than 34 minutes. While she was
divided between her punk and her emotional side on most of her
albums, it is clearly the punk version of Avril that we can discover
on Love Sux. We can hear 12 extremely energetic short songs,
from the opening with "Cannonball", "Bois Lie" (with Machine Gun
Kelly), "Bite Me", "Love It When You Hate Me" (with Blackbear),
and the title track, all of which go by at lightning speed for our
greatest pleasure. The collaborations of Machine Gun Kelly and
Blackbear are rather useless, but let's also note that of Mark
Hoppus in "All I Wanted", a much more interesting and worthy
participation. With Travis Barker acting as drummer on the
album, it was almost a Blink-182 reunion. With Love Sux,
Avril Lavigne unleashes her madness and reclaims her rights as punk
princess. Here is an excellent pop punk album for a highly effective
release!
(March 2022 Featured Review)
Music Video:
« Bite Me » |
  ½

 |
Priscilla Block is a country pop singer from
Raleigh, North Carolina who brings us her first ever full-length
album, following EPs in 2017 and 2021. She offers standard country
tunes, but her melodies are generally quite pop. There are also
elements of southern rock on several occasions (for example in the
most recent single, "My Bar") for rather varied music overall.
Priscilla has the voice and the energy to reach a wide audience. In
addition, she signs all the songs herself. She is even nominated for
New Female Artist of the Year at the upcoming ACM Awards (March 7).
Good luck to her!
(March 2022 Featured New Artist)
Music Videos:
« Just About Over You » -
« Thick Thighs » -
« Wish You Were the Whiskey » -
« Peaked in High School » -
« My Bar » |
  

|
A loyal accomplice of Angel Forrest on
record, on stage and in life, D. Columbus has collaborated with many
pop and blues artists in Quebec as a musician, composer or producer
during his 30-year career (Hugo Lapointe, Annie Villeneuve,
Paul Deslauriers, John McGale, Breen Leboeuf,
Martin Deschamps and many others). After having participated
in more than 20 albums, D. Columbus now presents his first solo
recording, Eleven Dollar Bill, a country album entirely in
English with pop and folk influences. It features 10 effective songs
reminiscent of American country music. Note the presence of Angel
Forrest on "To Love Somebody" at the end of the album.
(March 2022) |
Ad Litteram
  

|
The indie rock band from Sydney, Australia comes
to us with their third album, their first since 2017. Angel in
Realtime was largely inspired by lead singer David Le'aupepe's
father, who passed away from cancer in 2018. While the album is very
autobiographical, it also emotionally reaches a wide audience. Gang
of Youths features anthems like "In the Wake of Your Leave", "The
Angel of 8th Ave." and "The Man Himself" that are infectious and can
evoke artists like Bruce Springsteen, U2 and even
New Order with their rock and new wave blend. Orchestral
sections add richness to the album which is very complete and
coherent from beginning to end. Here is the album of their career so
far...
(March 2022) |
  ½

|
Cécile McLorin Salvant continues to push the
boundaries of jazz on Ghost Song. Cécile once again offers
solid original compositions ("Thunderclouds", "Moon Song", the title
track, etc.), but also covers of traditional songs ("The World is
Mean", "Unquiet Grave") or contemporary ones ("Optimistic Voices/No
Love Dying", "Until" by Sting). She also offers a superb
version of Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" at the very
beginning of the record. The album was conceived in the context of
the loss of two people close to her: her grandmother and her
long-time drummer Lawrence Leathers, who was tragically
killed in a domestic dispute in 2019. It is this sense of terrible
loss that hangs over Ghost Song, another exceptional album
from Cécile McLorin Salvant.
(March 2022) |
  ½

|

The Quebec-based band arrives with their first
album of original songs in 10 years, one year after the EP
Again, Pt. 1, which paid tribute to some of their favorite
artists. Brothers Ivan and Colin Doruschuk,
supplemented since 2016 by guitarist Sho Murray, explore a
wide range of themes on Again, Pt. 2: the state of the planet
("If the World Should End Today", "The Human Race"), the meaning of
life ("Just Another Day", "Where the Wild Go"), the state of art
("Heaven", "My Own Advice"), and, of course, love ("The Love Inside
Your Heart", "When Does Love Begin"). Musically, the trio still
offers its electro-pop sound completely focused on synthesizers. The
digital and analog mix joins the present to their best years. They
even used the Prophet 5 synthesizer, which was used at the time for
the recording of "The Safety Dance", their biggest career hit. The
only problem is that in the early 1980s, Men Without Hats were among
the innovators with their electronic sound, but today they sound
rather old-fashioned. There are still some good catchy songs anyway
with unforgettable melodies. Note that 2022 represents the 40th
anniversary of their debut album,
Rhythm of Youth.
(March 2022) |
Sonic Envy /
Curve /
SIX
  


|
The Spanish female singer returns with her third
album, four years after
El Mal Querer. On Motomami, Rosalia proposes a very
innovative sound that skillfully mixes Latin pop, electronic music
and other world influences. Two energies seem to confront each other
with energetic dance pieces and more introspective tracks. There are
also several experimental moments, even if they try desperately to
create a harmonious whole. It will certainly take a few good
listenings to completely adhere to the proposal which proves to be
quite destabilizing at first. The most electronic moments can remind
us of Moby, while the experimentation brings us back to
Björk. Billie Eilish also comes to mind on several
occasions. Let's note two collaborations: The Weeknd for "La
Fama" and Tokischa for "La Combi". This is an excellent album
for Rosalia, possibly her best, even if it requires a certain effort
to listen and adhere.
(March 2022) |
  ½

|
The Illinois alternative and industrial metal
band released four albums between 1993 and 2001, but since then, no
news, until now. With Chasing Ghosts, Stabbing Westward goes
back to the best of their industrial metal side. For the occasion,
Orgy alumni Carlton Bost (guitar) and Bobby Amaro
(drums) join vocalist and guitarist Christopher Hall and
programmer Walter Flakus. The band manages to avoid
nostalgia, while presenting the logical follow-up to
Darkest Days released in 1998. It is an energetic and highly
effective album that can be compared to the best industrial albums.
Tracks like "Cold" and "Control Z" are must-haves and could become
classics in the genre. As for "Push" and "The End", they are epic
tracks of more than seven minutes. Indeed, the 10 tracks of
Chasing Ghosts contain no real weaknesses. This is the album
that everyone has been waiting for from Stabbing Westward for over
20 years.
(March 2022) |
   

|

The Weather Station – How
Is It That I Should Look at the Stars
It is only one year after the release of
Ignorance that Tamara Lindeman is back with a new
album. How Is It That I Should Look at the Stars is meant to
be complementary to the previous record, as the songs were written
at the same time, in the same emotion, and the themes overlap:
conflict, disconnection, love, birds, and climate. This new album
was recorded in only three days and the result is an intimate whole
with a lot of silences, maybe a little too much. The extremely calm
album gathers 10 ballads on 32 minutes and leaves all the room to
the simple and naive lyrics. It allows to appreciate the purity of
Tamara's compositions. The album was made without any notice to the
record companies and by gathering a new group of musicians (mostly
from the Toronto jazz and improvisation scene), without drums or
percussion. The musicians improvised in the studio to accompany
Tamara on piano. This is a spontaneous album of immense sensitivity
and absolute sweetness that will appeal to fans of intimate music.
(March 2022) |
Next Door /
SIX
  ½


|

Viola Borealis
On this album featuring the viola, violist
Marina Thibeault and the Agora Orchestra, conducted by
Nicolas Ellis, present two classical concertos, as well as two
works for solo viola ("Ningodwaaswi" and "Niizh") from Melody
McKiver of the Anishinabe Nation. The CD includes the first
viola concerto in history, "Viola Concerto in G Major TWV 51:G9"
from Georg Philip Telemann (1681-1767). One of the most
recent works, the "Viola Concerto" from Peteris Vasks
(1946-...) is also featured. Note that Melody McKiver's two solo
works are taken from Reckoning, dedicated to the memory of
the composer's grandmother, a survivor of residential schools. This
is a very nice album for any viola fan, very enjoyable!
(March 2022) |
ATMA Classique
   


|

Jean-Michel Pilc – Alive:
Live at Dièse Onze, Montréal
In this recording at Dièse Onze in Montreal on
June 26, 2021, Parisian pianist Jean-Michel Pilc demonstrated more
than ever the power of spontaneity and improvisation in jazz music.
Along with fellow musicians Rémi-Jean LeBlanc on bass and
Jim Doxas on drums, Pilc improvised for over two hours and this
is only the first part on the album. It features five tracks: two of
his own compositions ("11 Sharp" and "Alive"), "Softly As in a
Morning Sunrise" composed by Oscar Hammerstein II and
Sigmund Romerg for the 1928 operetta New Moon, and two
Miles Davis classics ("Nardis" and "All Blues"). The seven other
pieces of the concert are also available in electronic version only.
These include an explosive version of Eddie Harris' "Freedom
Jazz", the standards "Someday My Prince Will Come" and "My Funny
Valentine", as well as a very unexpected version of the Beatles'
"Eleanor Rigby". The whole concludes with John Coltrane's
very effective "Mr. P.C.", almost 14 minutes with a Latin feel. The
CD will seem incomplete with only the first five tracks, but the
whole available online is very satisfying with two hours and 15
minutes of excellent jazz music.
(March 2022) |
Justin Time /
SIX
  ½


|
February:
|

Two years after the excellent
After Hours, The Weeknd is back with another great album.
This time, the theme is a dawn radio show with Jim Carrey as
the slightly creepy host of that morning radio station. Carrey
creates the link between some of the songs, while adding to the
atmosphere of the whole, before delivering a three-minute epilogue,
"Phantom Regret". The result is an album of great coherence in which
each piece is at the right place, for an enjoyable listening from
beginning to end. Few tracks stand out among the 16 offered, except
for the hits "Take My Breath" and "Sacrifice". Besides Carrey, other
collaborators include Tyler, the Creator on "Here We Go...
Again" and Lil Wayne on "I Heard You're Married". With
Dawn FM, the Toronto artist refines his craft even further, for
a first-rate R&B album. Even if 2022 is still young, the record is
likely to be among the best of the year. Note that a deluxe version
is also available, subtitled
Alternate World. It features three additional tracks: a
house remix of "Take My Breath" featuring Agents of Time, as
well as two collaborations with Swedish House Mafia for a
remix of "Sacrifice" and the hit "Moth to a Flame".
(February 2022 Featured Review)
Music Videos:
« Take My Breath » -
« Sacrifice » -
« Gasoline » -
« Moth to a Flame » |
   

 |
With four EPs that have garnered millions of
listens online, Quebec's Margaux Sauvé (aka Ghostly Kisses)
has carved out a more than enviable place for herself on the global
music scene. The singer-songwriter has finally arrived with her
first full-length album, Heaven, Wait. Following a long
depression, this album represents a rebirth for her. There are many
transitions: from friendship to love ("Heaven, Wait"), from life to
death ("Your Heart Is Gold"), from loneliness to relationship
("Heartbeat"), from childhood to adulthood ("Green Book"). The music
of Ghostly Kisses is a soft and muffled pop, a great electro sound
of avant-gardist atmosphere. Even if there is still a certain dark
and melancholic side, the album is brighter than what she did
before, even danceable on some occasions. Her voice whispers in our
ears and quickly bewitches us. The artist worked with renowned
producers: Tim Bran (London Grammar, Aurora,
Birdy) and Thomas Bartlett (The National,
Sufjan Stevens, Florence and the Machine). The result is
an impressive album by its coherence, its arrangements, and the
quality of its compositions. It is a first record of very high
caliber by this artist to watch closely in the years to come.
(February 2022 Featured New Artist)
Music Videos:
« Don’t Know Why » -
« Heartbeat » |
  ½

|

The shoegaze duo from Baltimore is back on
record, four years after
7. The inspiration was definitely there as Victoria
Legrand and Alex Scally present us a double album of
almost an hour and a half. They produced the album themselves and
seem to have total creative freedom. Once Twice Melody starts
with a series of four first-rate songs: the title track,
"Superstar", "Pink Funeral" and "Through Me". First, "Once Twice
Melody" includes synthesizers and electronic drums recalling the
duo's early days, before adding strings, courtesy of arranger
David Campbell, to create a symphonic pop sound reminiscent of
the 1960s. As for "Superstar", it is an instant classic with a very
pleasant rhythm. There are of course a few sadder tracks worthy of
shoegaze, but Once Twice Melody is rather bright in general.
Above all, Beach House offer us an excellent entertainment, creative
and very high quality indie pop music.
(February 2022) |
  ½


|

The Canadian pop punk band is back with their
sixth album, their first in six years, since 2016's effective
Afraid of Heights. Billy Talent returns to their winning
recipe on Crisis of Faith with unforgettable catchy tracks.
The album kicks off with a bang with "Forgiveness I + II," an almost
progressive two-part song that totals 6 minutes and 40 seconds. It's
both daring and very satisfying, for a great moment in their career.
There is also the dark ballad "The Wolf" which is quite different
from what the band has been used to. The other eight songs on the
record are a bit more standard for Billy Talent with the riffs and
melodies we've come to know and love for almost 20 years. There are
three memorable tracks that you can hum along to: "Hanging Out with
All the Wrong People", "One Less Problem" and "End of Me" (featuring
Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo). With Crisis of Faith,
Billy Talent delivers a great album, an excellent entertainment that
also offers its share of creativity.
(February 2022) |
  ½


|

One year after their debut album,
For the First Time, the English band is already back with
Ants From Up There. Black Country, New Road offers a mix of
intimate post-rock and jazz-folk, with some Arcade Fire-like
flights of fancy. Unfortunately, a few days before the launch of
their new album, their leader, Isaac Wood, left the band,
which put a bit of a damper on the launch. It's a shame because
Ants From Up There has better compositions than the previous
one, with a bit more nuance and several interesting creative
touches. The result is an excellent record, very interesting and
enjoyable throughout.
(February 2022) |
  ½


|

With Aubades, Jean-Michel Blais makes the
transition from pianist to composer for an ensemble. Inspired by the
Renaissance and the Middle Ages, Blais offers symphonic music that
goes far beyond his previous works paying tribute to the piano.
Following the March 2020 lockdown, he isolated himself in an
improvisational creation that resulted in over 500 different
improvisations transformed into 11 compositions. For the
orchestration, Blais was fortunate to collaborate with Brooklyn
native Alex Weston, former assistant to Phillip Glass
for over seven years. The work is performed by a 12-piece ensemble
led by Nicolas Ellis, assistant to Yannick Nézet-Séguin
at the Metropolitan Orchestra. All of the music was recorded
with close microphones, a practice that is more pop music-like and
contrasts with the classical tradition by creating a more intimate,
less distant atmosphere. This is undoubtedly Jean-Michel Blais' most
accomplished album, one that is likely to become a reference in the
neoclassical genre.
(February 2022) |
Arts & Crafts /
SIX
   


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Geoffroy – Live Slow, Die Wise
The Quebec singer-songwriter is back with his
third album. Geoffroy had already released a first single at the
beginning of last summer ("Cold World"), before returning in October
with "Strangers on a Train" and "Life as It Comes". The album takes
us into an introspective, more mature, and reflective world,
inspired by artists like Ry Cooder, Paul Simon,
Nick Drake and Jeff Buckley. On Live Slow, Die Wise
Geoffroy's approach to writing is more contemplative and
philosophical. Written and composed during the lockdown of 2020, the
album took shape in early 2021 thanks to the co-production of
Louis-Jean Cormier. Geoffroy returns to solo acoustic guitar,
rediscovering the pleasure of organic, live instrumentation.
Unfortunately, the album takes on the appearance of an EP with only
seven tracks for a total of less than 26 minutes.
(February 2022)
Music Videos:
« Cold World » -
« Strangers on a Train » -
« Life as It Comes » |
444%
/
SIX
  


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Korn – Requiem
After 2019's
The Nothing, which impressed with its relevance, the
veterans of Korn return with Requiem. The short album of nine
tracks totaling less than 33 minutes allows us to find back the band
that made the best years of nu-metal in the 1990s. With almost 30
years of experience, Jonathan Davis and his band still know
how to give us a hard time with their rough and heavy metal, right
from the first moments with the excellent "Forgotten". But it is
with "Hopeless and Beaten" that the heaviness reaches its peak. The
album concludes with "Worst Is on Its Way" which is probably the
track that comes closest to the band's past. Otherwise, Korn
succeeds in taking us to unexplored territories until then and it is
with great pleasure that we discover Requiem.
(February 2022) |
  ½


|

This new album by the Saguenay Quartet (formerly
the Alcan Quartet) features Marie Bégin as first
violin for the first time. She brings a breath of fresh air to the
Quartet and to works by Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) and
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937). In addition to Mendelssohn's "String
Quartet in E minor, Op. 44 No. 2" and Ravel's "String Quartet in F
major", we can discover "Federico II", the folk-inspired first
movement of Giovanni Sollima's (1962-...) Viaggio in
Italia cycle, a work dating from 2000. The Saguenay Quartet
celebrates its 33rd anniversary in fine style with this new
recording, which fits perfectly into the tradition of excellence of
the band, having now some thirty recordings to its credit. This is
an excellent chamber music record from this incomparable quartet
from Quebec.
(February 2022) |
ATMA Classique
   


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Spoon – Lucifer on the Sofa
Five years after
Hot Thoughts, the Texan band is back with a new album. While
the previous one was rather luminous, Lucifer on the Sofa is
smokier and rawer, a little bit in the Texan way. It must be said
that after several years in Los Angeles, Britt Daniel came
back to Austin for this record, a return home in a way that surely
influenced the sound atmosphere. After nearly 30 years in the
business, Spoon still manages to break new ground, even though they
open the album with a cover, Smog’s "Held", which they
performed live as far back as the early 2000s. It's a perfect song
to lay the groundwork for this rock 'n' roll album worthy of the
greatest rock concerts. For the first time in a long time, the
guitars are front and centre, as in "The Hardest Cut", a unique
groove with influences from The Who, The Kinks and
ZZ Top. As for "Wild", it can recall Bruce Springsteen
and Bob Seger. With Lucifer on the Sofa, Spoon
succeeds in bringing good old rock 'n' roll back to the forefront,
for our greatest pleasure.
(February 2022) |
  ½


|

Eleven years after
Ukulele Songs, the Pearl Jam frontman is back with a
second solo album. Earthling includes several energetic and
very pleasant songs, starting with the excellent "Power of Right".
The 13-track album turns out to be brighter than what Pearl Jam has
been used to provide, even if some influences of the legendary
band's sound can be recognized. "Invincible" may remind of Peter
Gabriel in the opening, while "The Dark" seems to be inspired by
the alternative rock sound of the 1980s. As for "Fallout Today", it
features several rather rich layers of acoustic guitar. Eddie Vedder
welcomes a few guest artists: Ringo Starr on drums on "Long
Way", Elton John for a duet with him and playing piano on
"Picture" and Stevie Wonder playing harp on "Try". The album
is rather varied on the whole, maybe even a little too much, while
the coherence is not always there between the tracks. But the main
thing we remember about Earthling is the pleasure we get from
most of the songs, since Eddie Vedder certainly presents the most
joyful music of his career.
(February 2022) |
  ½


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