Émilie Proulx
Blog "rules" normally exclude reviews of albums (i) not released during the calendar year or (ii) not released in the US (and only available on import). However, seeing as rule (ii) was conveniently ignored earlier this year, it's perhaps about time to dispense with rule (i), especially since the artist in question tweeted kind things about one of my earlier posts...
Montréal-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Émilie Proulx was the provider of both bass and backing vocals on Catherine Leduc's year-list shoe-in "Rookie." Seems however that she is a more than capable solo artist - if her back catalogue and especially her last album, 2011's "Montagnes russes, mini-tsunamis" ("Roller-coasters, mini tsunamis") - are anything to go by...
The songs on this EP create an overwhelming sense of melancholy; naturally flowing melodies crafted with reflective, introspective lyrics that - from the haunting piano and ghostly, whispering vocals of "L'envers", a song facing the ultimate futility of trying to escape, only to know that one day you'll return; to the aching love song that is "Si tu penses à moi" - all help to create five beautifully evocative and bitter-sweet slices of life, love, despondency, confusion and yearning...
Like a number of Québec-based musicians, Émilie draws on and incorporates the rich heritage of Americana... And not just her music; any interview or article I've subsequently read has mentioned artists of the calibre of Joni Mitchell and Neil Young (and I'd also add the peerless Laura Veirs to this list of kindred spirits). This is apparent on "Les États" - a beautiful heartfelt song about her love-hate relationship with the neighbour to the South; and on subsequent listens to both the EP's title track "Montagnes russes, mini-tsunamis" and the sublime "Nulle part," with their weeping steel guitars and country-folk undercurrent... However, for all the obvious influence - and indeed homage - these songs truly feel texturally French - Francophone - in composition - save for the wonderful nuances of French-Canadian grammar, these songs could have easily been written and recorded in La Belle France as in Québec...
The album is tagged on Bandcamp - as amongst others - "slowcore"; it's a pretty apt description - but having recently reviewed "Sad Grl Electro-Chamber Pop" it could be argued that this should also be tagged as "Americana pour les filles tristes."
It's also the perfect companion to Catherine Leduc's "Rookie"... Praise doesn't come much higher.
And now Émilie - when she's not busy collaborating with fellow artists - is recording a long awaited 4th album... Having been somewhat late in detecting Émilie on my musical radar, I can't wait!
Émilie Proulx Website
Émilie Proulx on Bandcamp, iTunes
Montréal-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Émilie Proulx was the provider of both bass and backing vocals on Catherine Leduc's year-list shoe-in "Rookie." Seems however that she is a more than capable solo artist - if her back catalogue and especially her last album, 2011's "Montagnes russes, mini-tsunamis" ("Roller-coasters, mini tsunamis") - are anything to go by...
The songs on this EP create an overwhelming sense of melancholy; naturally flowing melodies crafted with reflective, introspective lyrics that - from the haunting piano and ghostly, whispering vocals of "L'envers", a song facing the ultimate futility of trying to escape, only to know that one day you'll return; to the aching love song that is "Si tu penses à moi" - all help to create five beautifully evocative and bitter-sweet slices of life, love, despondency, confusion and yearning...
Like a number of Québec-based musicians, Émilie draws on and incorporates the rich heritage of Americana... And not just her music; any interview or article I've subsequently read has mentioned artists of the calibre of Joni Mitchell and Neil Young (and I'd also add the peerless Laura Veirs to this list of kindred spirits). This is apparent on "Les États" - a beautiful heartfelt song about her love-hate relationship with the neighbour to the South; and on subsequent listens to both the EP's title track "Montagnes russes, mini-tsunamis" and the sublime "Nulle part," with their weeping steel guitars and country-folk undercurrent... However, for all the obvious influence - and indeed homage - these songs truly feel texturally French - Francophone - in composition - save for the wonderful nuances of French-Canadian grammar, these songs could have easily been written and recorded in La Belle France as in Québec...
The album is tagged on Bandcamp - as amongst others - "slowcore"; it's a pretty apt description - but having recently reviewed "Sad Grl Electro-Chamber Pop" it could be argued that this should also be tagged as "Americana pour les filles tristes."
It's also the perfect companion to Catherine Leduc's "Rookie"... Praise doesn't come much higher.
And now Émilie - when she's not busy collaborating with fellow artists - is recording a long awaited 4th album... Having been somewhat late in detecting Émilie on my musical radar, I can't wait!
Émilie Proulx Website
Émilie Proulx on Bandcamp, iTunes
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