Chloé Lacasse
Back in 2011 I stumbled across the eponymous debut album from that year's Francouvertes winner Chloé Lacasse, an album that managed to seamlessly encompass rock, pop, tender ballads and even threw-in a few Bristollian trip-hop beats - and in "Tout va bien" featured one killer of a contender for song of the year...
Fast forward to 2014 and the release of "Lunes", the theoretically oh-so-difficult sophomore album...
If her debut album seemed to touch all musical bases, "Lunes" sees Chloé focused on a more adult and mature, thoughtful sound - although Voir.ca suggests somewhat harshly that it's a touch "conservative." That's an unfairly harsh assessment, for although the album perhaps isn't as musically expansive in its scope, it's arguably far more balanced and focused. Gone is the "turn the volume up all the way to eleven" - this time it's those pure and crystalline vocals that were hinted at previously which take centre-stage - the music complements rather than competes for attention. Moreover the clever use of percussion, strings, keyboards - even an auto-harp - help create a more tranquil, trance-like and atmospheric sound than the album's predecessor; Coupled with Chloé's ethereal and at times haunting voice, the end result is the most compelling of albums...
From the opening bars of the aforementioned auto-harp that resonates throughout "Rien pour moi" - a deliciously troubling portrayal of an emotionally challenged relationship - you realise that you are listening to something quite special. The songs on this album demand attention - the lyrics have a truly biographical feel and every song on this album sets a scene as the narrative unfurls - with "La générique" another chapter to this story.
Fast forward to 2014 and the release of "Lunes", the theoretically oh-so-difficult sophomore album...
If her debut album seemed to touch all musical bases, "Lunes" sees Chloé focused on a more adult and mature, thoughtful sound - although Voir.ca suggests somewhat harshly that it's a touch "conservative." That's an unfairly harsh assessment, for although the album perhaps isn't as musically expansive in its scope, it's arguably far more balanced and focused. Gone is the "turn the volume up all the way to eleven" - this time it's those pure and crystalline vocals that were hinted at previously which take centre-stage - the music complements rather than competes for attention. Moreover the clever use of percussion, strings, keyboards - even an auto-harp - help create a more tranquil, trance-like and atmospheric sound than the album's predecessor; Coupled with Chloé's ethereal and at times haunting voice, the end result is the most compelling of albums...
From the opening bars of the aforementioned auto-harp that resonates throughout "Rien pour moi" - a deliciously troubling portrayal of an emotionally challenged relationship - you realise that you are listening to something quite special. The songs on this album demand attention - the lyrics have a truly biographical feel and every song on this album sets a scene as the narrative unfurls - with "La générique" another chapter to this story.
"Tu me donnes tes yeux
Ils sont amoureux de moi
C’est ce que je veux
Même s’ils ne pourront rien pour moi
J’ai beau plonger en eux
M’y saouler tant que je peux y boire
Me dire que l’on est deux
Mais toujours tu ne peux rien pour moi"
("Rien pour moi")
With this album Chloé definitely sets out to create a mood - and it's not all melancholic - has a song ostensibly about rebelling against the status-quo ("Renverser la vapeur") ever sounded so melodic? Then there is the way in which "Furnace Creek", with it's acoustic guitar, banjo and over-dubbed vocals manages to paint a canvas as expansive as the landscape it portrays...
However it is with "Écoute sans parler" and the effortlessly way that the song ploughs a similar psychedelic furrow to two of last year's standout albums - Hôtel Morphée's "Des histoires de fantômes" and Forêt's stunning eponymous debut; "Un oiseau dans la vitre" - and it's wonderfully uplifting and soaring chorus; "Le piège" - all hypnotic grove and vocal rawness - that hint at how truly outstanding an album this is. Although on an album as choc-full of stand-out compositions as this, it is perhaps remiss to highlight a mere handful of songs - indeed there's an excellent review of this album in Écoute donc ça that expands upon this theme.
Chloé Lacasse performs "Un oiseau dans la vitre" in BRBR's Boîte Noire
"Lunes" represents an album from an artist who is on top of her game, who knows exactly what she is trying to convey... There's a perfect synergy with lyricism and melody captured here; the end result is a truly outstanding album that deserves to be in any discerning record collection and once again deserves to be considered amongst the Pantheon of great albums from this year...
"Lunes"
was released in the same week as Catherine Leduc's "Rookie" - an album
that I've just stated is a year-list contender. This album is proof that lightening does strike twice...
Chloé Lacasse Website
Chloé Lacasse "Lunes"
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