Joanie Michaud
Singer-songwriter Joanie Michaud's "Claquer des doigts", taken from her 5-track eponymous debut EP, firmly labels the Gatineau, Québec native - and yet another talented graduate from L'ecôle National de la Chanson Granby - as an artist to listen out for.
As I'm sure I've mentioned once or twice, I do have a bit of an Achilles' heel when it comes to jangly guitars and honey-dripped female vocals, and this song (indeed the EP) has both in spades. A heavily reverbed guitar weaves in and out of Joanie's oh-so-smooth voice; the whole song is underpinned by the most steady of drum beats, strategically placed hand-claps and soaring refrains. It's most certainly a number by which to introduce yourself and one that tweaked my attention.
The equally up-beat "Y'as tu vraiment quelque'un" opens with the most deceptively melodic opening verse, whereby Joanie's subdued vocals are intertwined with the most sympathetic of guitar accompaniment. But then, about a minute in there's a cacophony of guitars, percussion and hand-claps as the tempo noticeably lifts. The vocals soar - there's a touch of added multi-tracking - a storming rock-infused middle-eight complete with heavy reverbed guitar thrown into the mix ( take note, this girl can really play guitar) - before her angelic vocals fade to silence...
Sandwiched between these two, "Parapluie" offers a nice change of mood and pace. Reflective, it's reminiscent of the lilting pop-folk style of a number of her Québec contemporaries (many of whom have featured in this blog - so no complaints here), but what makes this song stand-out is the delightful guitar touches and the hooks of the refrain - both of which I'd suggest are rapidly becoming a Joanie's trademark. And it's these touches that are also put to good use on "Long longtemps" - especially the lazy echoing guitar that surfaces repeatedly throughout the song.
The EP's closing number "Juste au cas" is structurally similar to "Y'as tu vraiment quelque'un" - with heavily-reverbed guitar, soaring refrains and an up-tempo middle-eight, there's also some nice keyboard moments when the mood is deliberately dropped a notch or two - it's a deceptively catchy song...
I can't believe that this EP was released last February(!) and it's taken me this long to get around to it - especially when I read interviews and learn that this is actually her second attempt to carve out a career as a musician. Frankly there's more than enough here - especially in the way she can make a guitar sing - to suggest that Joanie Michaud can leave her mark...
Joanie Michaud Website
Joanie Michaud (Bandcamp)
As I'm sure I've mentioned once or twice, I do have a bit of an Achilles' heel when it comes to jangly guitars and honey-dripped female vocals, and this song (indeed the EP) has both in spades. A heavily reverbed guitar weaves in and out of Joanie's oh-so-smooth voice; the whole song is underpinned by the most steady of drum beats, strategically placed hand-claps and soaring refrains. It's most certainly a number by which to introduce yourself and one that tweaked my attention.
The equally up-beat "Y'as tu vraiment quelque'un" opens with the most deceptively melodic opening verse, whereby Joanie's subdued vocals are intertwined with the most sympathetic of guitar accompaniment. But then, about a minute in there's a cacophony of guitars, percussion and hand-claps as the tempo noticeably lifts. The vocals soar - there's a touch of added multi-tracking - a storming rock-infused middle-eight complete with heavy reverbed guitar thrown into the mix ( take note, this girl can really play guitar) - before her angelic vocals fade to silence...
Sandwiched between these two, "Parapluie" offers a nice change of mood and pace. Reflective, it's reminiscent of the lilting pop-folk style of a number of her Québec contemporaries (many of whom have featured in this blog - so no complaints here), but what makes this song stand-out is the delightful guitar touches and the hooks of the refrain - both of which I'd suggest are rapidly becoming a Joanie's trademark. And it's these touches that are also put to good use on "Long longtemps" - especially the lazy echoing guitar that surfaces repeatedly throughout the song.
The EP's closing number "Juste au cas" is structurally similar to "Y'as tu vraiment quelque'un" - with heavily-reverbed guitar, soaring refrains and an up-tempo middle-eight, there's also some nice keyboard moments when the mood is deliberately dropped a notch or two - it's a deceptively catchy song...
I can't believe that this EP was released last February(!) and it's taken me this long to get around to it - especially when I read interviews and learn that this is actually her second attempt to carve out a career as a musician. Frankly there's more than enough here - especially in the way she can make a guitar sing - to suggest that Joanie Michaud can leave her mark...
Joanie Michaud Website
Joanie Michaud (Bandcamp)
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