Cœur de pirate
As a result of being 'Down-Under' for three weeks, the more observant of you will have noted that this blog has been a bit quiet of late. But we're back, recovered from jet-lag and - as luck would have it - there's been a whole slew of stupendous music released recently, so without further ado lets start with the first of a trio of albums that I've been eagerly awaiting getting my hands on...
"Roses" is Blog favourite Béatrice Martin's (a.k.a. Cœur de pirate) fifth album - can you believe her eponymous debut was released way back in 2008? - and one which has been keenly anticipated ever since she announced last year on CBC’s ‘Q’ programme that she had started writing songs in English and that her next album would contain a mix of French and English language songs.
We already know that Béatrice can more than hold a song in English, witness last year's outstanding covers album for the French-Canadian TV drama series "Trauma" - but how would she fare with self-penned compositions?
Pretty effortlessly as it turns out. The album opens with "Carry On", the Björn Yttling (of Peter, Björn and John and producer of albums by artists as diverse as Franz Ferdinand, Lykke Li, Primal Screen and Chrissie Hynde) produced single, released earlier this year. It's a glorious masterpiece of shimmering and bright pop which literally explodes during the song's soaring chorus. The lyrics - bristling with tension - convincingly convey the narrative, proof that Béatrice is more than comfortable with writing in both her native French and English (even if she admits that she had her English lyrics proof-read).
In a nice touch of symmetry, the French-language version of the song, "Oublie-moi (Carry On)", closes out the album. There's a slightly different perspective offered by the lyrics, but the most noticeable difference between the two versions is that Béatrice's vocals are softer, less stringent - which as someone who cultivates a different accent in French than my carefully honed 'Estuary English' is - from my perspective - understandable.
In fact if you ignore the fact that the album is heavily weighted towards English-language compositions (7 out of the 11 here), the most striking difference over her two earlier albums "Cœur de pirate" and "Blonde" is the more expansive sound and electro-pop influences. The album still has that autobiographical feel, snapshots of love, life, happiness and heartbreak all feature. Daughter Romy and husband Alex Peyrat are cause for some of the album's most uplifting moments, but which - according to reviews in her native Québec - also allows Béatrice to find closure from her much-publicised relationship with Bedouin Soundclash's Jay Malinowski...
"Crier tout bas" is probably my favourite song on the album (yes, it's in French - so no surprise here), but it's such a beautifully heartfelt number - there's an air of sadness and frustration - and I do like a touch of melancholy. But this is such a gloriously textural song - muddied and distorted drums and percussion are layered piano and keyboards, and finally Béatrice's voix fragile - before the song again erupts on an uplifting chorus that hints of hope - there are some gorgeous orchestral strings that add both warmth and extra depth, and a stunning piece of cinematography for accompaniment. However, Béatrice recorded a live acoustic version of the song for CBC's "q", which I think captures this song quite perfectly:
"Tu oublieras mon nom" touches on traditional Cœur de pirate themes of separation and break-up, but whereas previously the song would be tinged with hurt, here there's an acceptance that it is time to move on. Opening to a simple piano accompaniment, again I love how once again the sound has been layered, with the added warmth and texture of orchestral strings; there's another soaring chorus - I think it's safe to say that Béatrice has just about nailed these on this album - with just a hint of a sixties-vibe.
The other track of the quartet française is "Drapeau blanc" - produced here by Ash Workman (who has worked with, amongst others, Metronomy and the Blog's indie faves Veronica Falls) - a song that not only deals with Béatrice's sometime difficult relationship with her mother - but also how motherhood itself has changed her perspective on life. While there's a distinctive electro-pop beat with some nice touches of synths and programming, it is perhaps the closest in structure to her earlier albums.
So the French-language songs are - as expected - pretty top notch, but how does the rest of the (English language) album stack-up?
Dedicated to husband Alex, "Undone" is an incredibly upbeat ("...But as I stand tall with you, I know, That I'll be whole again, You'll make me whole again...") and absolutely nailed-on radio-friendly song. If I was driving through LA and idly flicking through the myriad of FM stations here, I'd expect to run into this several times. I'd be amazed if Béatrice's US Label Cherrytree doesn't toy with the idea of releasing this song as a single here. Featuring a hypnotic percussive beat and just a hint of Lykke Li, everything is topped by the by-now trademarked captivating chorus, all wrapped by Béatrice's honey-dripped vocals. This is a bit of a grower.
"Oceans Brawl" is the first of two songs produced by Rob Ellis (who has worked with - amongst others - not only one of my favourite but arguably the UK's finest contemporary artist PJH MBE) and I'd argue that Polly Jean herself would approve of Béatrice's vocal performance; plaintive, tinged with sadness, remorse and not a little anger. The downbeat mood is perfectly by the sympathetic production - sombre horns and mellotron and layered over waves breaking ashore - Beatrice explored the song's back-story in a recent interview in Canadian pop-culture magazine Exclaim! - and this feeling of being totally lost and alone amidst the expanse of nature at it's most raw and rugged is expertly captured here.
Now there's often a little bit of a retro-vibe with Béatrice's songs and on the second of the Ellis produced numbers, the smouldering "Our Love", there is an intoxicating mix of sixties soul and cool modern indie-pop (again to these ears there's a hint of Lykke Li in the way that the percussion and voice intertwine). The metaphor of the breaking wave - engulfing everything in its path, yet leaving nothing in its wake as it recedes - vividly describes a tempestuous relationship (heightened by cello that adds a feeling of edginess) - this is another impressive vocal performance on a song that should also pick-up airplay here in the States.
"Cast Away" is a charming piano and vocal two-piece, sure the other instruments (primarily the strings) add depth, but in many respects the style of composition harks back to her earlier Francophone albums. The song itself is a quite beautiful love song - there's no remorse, no regrets - this is a song about comfort, togetherness, of strength and tenderness, which is If her earlier work reflected some of the more tumultuous snapshots of her life, this suggests that Béatrice is in a much happier place now... And a happier place is most certainly where Béatrice is on "The Way Back Home." Piano again features prominently and the style also harks back to her earlier works, and I love the warmth of the orchestral strings as they weave in and out of the piano. Ultimately It's hard not to imagine this song being dedicated to daughter Romy. It's arguably the most moving song on the album (I'm a soft bugger at heart) and features the most beautiful, lilting of choruses... It's truly an absolutely gorgeous song...
The only track on this otherwise superb album that I'm not sure about is the electro-pop (complete with beats and synth loops), R&B tinged "I Don't Want to Break Your Heart" which it has been suggested has the potential to be - as they say here - a crossover hit due to the introduction of rapper Allan Kingdom. To these ears however there's a jarring disjoint between what is an incredibly radio-friendly and romantic melody and the rapping of her fellow Canadian...
But it's a minor quibble. "Roses" ably demonstrates that Béatrice, already one of her generation's greatest Auteure-Compositeur-Interprète, is also an accomplished singer-songwriter-composer. It is also an album that despite the touches of three distinctive producers is seamlessly framed by her distinctive and expressive vocal style.
Having conquered the Francophone world, "Roses" more than suggests that Cœur de pirate will make her mark on the Anglophone community...
Cœur de pirate (Website), (tumblr)
"Roses" (Bandcamp)
"Roses" is Blog favourite Béatrice Martin's (a.k.a. Cœur de pirate) fifth album - can you believe her eponymous debut was released way back in 2008? - and one which has been keenly anticipated ever since she announced last year on CBC’s ‘Q’ programme that she had started writing songs in English and that her next album would contain a mix of French and English language songs.
We already know that Béatrice can more than hold a song in English, witness last year's outstanding covers album for the French-Canadian TV drama series "Trauma" - but how would she fare with self-penned compositions?
Pretty effortlessly as it turns out. The album opens with "Carry On", the Björn Yttling (of Peter, Björn and John and producer of albums by artists as diverse as Franz Ferdinand, Lykke Li, Primal Screen and Chrissie Hynde) produced single, released earlier this year. It's a glorious masterpiece of shimmering and bright pop which literally explodes during the song's soaring chorus. The lyrics - bristling with tension - convincingly convey the narrative, proof that Béatrice is more than comfortable with writing in both her native French and English (even if she admits that she had her English lyrics proof-read).
In a nice touch of symmetry, the French-language version of the song, "Oublie-moi (Carry On)", closes out the album. There's a slightly different perspective offered by the lyrics, but the most noticeable difference between the two versions is that Béatrice's vocals are softer, less stringent - which as someone who cultivates a different accent in French than my carefully honed 'Estuary English' is - from my perspective - understandable.
In fact if you ignore the fact that the album is heavily weighted towards English-language compositions (7 out of the 11 here), the most striking difference over her two earlier albums "Cœur de pirate" and "Blonde" is the more expansive sound and electro-pop influences. The album still has that autobiographical feel, snapshots of love, life, happiness and heartbreak all feature. Daughter Romy and husband Alex Peyrat are cause for some of the album's most uplifting moments, but which - according to reviews in her native Québec - also allows Béatrice to find closure from her much-publicised relationship with Bedouin Soundclash's Jay Malinowski...
"Crier tout bas" is probably my favourite song on the album (yes, it's in French - so no surprise here), but it's such a beautifully heartfelt number - there's an air of sadness and frustration - and I do like a touch of melancholy. But this is such a gloriously textural song - muddied and distorted drums and percussion are layered piano and keyboards, and finally Béatrice's voix fragile - before the song again erupts on an uplifting chorus that hints of hope - there are some gorgeous orchestral strings that add both warmth and extra depth, and a stunning piece of cinematography for accompaniment. However, Béatrice recorded a live acoustic version of the song for CBC's "q", which I think captures this song quite perfectly:
"Tu oublieras mon nom" touches on traditional Cœur de pirate themes of separation and break-up, but whereas previously the song would be tinged with hurt, here there's an acceptance that it is time to move on. Opening to a simple piano accompaniment, again I love how once again the sound has been layered, with the added warmth and texture of orchestral strings; there's another soaring chorus - I think it's safe to say that Béatrice has just about nailed these on this album - with just a hint of a sixties-vibe.
The other track of the quartet française is "Drapeau blanc" - produced here by Ash Workman (who has worked with, amongst others, Metronomy and the Blog's indie faves Veronica Falls) - a song that not only deals with Béatrice's sometime difficult relationship with her mother - but also how motherhood itself has changed her perspective on life. While there's a distinctive electro-pop beat with some nice touches of synths and programming, it is perhaps the closest in structure to her earlier albums.
So the French-language songs are - as expected - pretty top notch, but how does the rest of the (English language) album stack-up?
Dedicated to husband Alex, "Undone" is an incredibly upbeat ("...But as I stand tall with you, I know, That I'll be whole again, You'll make me whole again...") and absolutely nailed-on radio-friendly song. If I was driving through LA and idly flicking through the myriad of FM stations here, I'd expect to run into this several times. I'd be amazed if Béatrice's US Label Cherrytree doesn't toy with the idea of releasing this song as a single here. Featuring a hypnotic percussive beat and just a hint of Lykke Li, everything is topped by the by-now trademarked captivating chorus, all wrapped by Béatrice's honey-dripped vocals. This is a bit of a grower.
"Oceans Brawl" is the first of two songs produced by Rob Ellis (who has worked with - amongst others - not only one of my favourite but arguably the UK's finest contemporary artist PJH MBE) and I'd argue that Polly Jean herself would approve of Béatrice's vocal performance; plaintive, tinged with sadness, remorse and not a little anger. The downbeat mood is perfectly by the sympathetic production - sombre horns and mellotron and layered over waves breaking ashore - Beatrice explored the song's back-story in a recent interview in Canadian pop-culture magazine Exclaim! - and this feeling of being totally lost and alone amidst the expanse of nature at it's most raw and rugged is expertly captured here.
Now there's often a little bit of a retro-vibe with Béatrice's songs and on the second of the Ellis produced numbers, the smouldering "Our Love", there is an intoxicating mix of sixties soul and cool modern indie-pop (again to these ears there's a hint of Lykke Li in the way that the percussion and voice intertwine). The metaphor of the breaking wave - engulfing everything in its path, yet leaving nothing in its wake as it recedes - vividly describes a tempestuous relationship (heightened by cello that adds a feeling of edginess) - this is another impressive vocal performance on a song that should also pick-up airplay here in the States.
"Cast Away" is a charming piano and vocal two-piece, sure the other instruments (primarily the strings) add depth, but in many respects the style of composition harks back to her earlier Francophone albums. The song itself is a quite beautiful love song - there's no remorse, no regrets - this is a song about comfort, togetherness, of strength and tenderness, which is If her earlier work reflected some of the more tumultuous snapshots of her life, this suggests that Béatrice is in a much happier place now... And a happier place is most certainly where Béatrice is on "The Way Back Home." Piano again features prominently and the style also harks back to her earlier works, and I love the warmth of the orchestral strings as they weave in and out of the piano. Ultimately It's hard not to imagine this song being dedicated to daughter Romy. It's arguably the most moving song on the album (I'm a soft bugger at heart) and features the most beautiful, lilting of choruses... It's truly an absolutely gorgeous song...
The only track on this otherwise superb album that I'm not sure about is the electro-pop (complete with beats and synth loops), R&B tinged "I Don't Want to Break Your Heart" which it has been suggested has the potential to be - as they say here - a crossover hit due to the introduction of rapper Allan Kingdom. To these ears however there's a jarring disjoint between what is an incredibly radio-friendly and romantic melody and the rapping of her fellow Canadian...
But it's a minor quibble. "Roses" ably demonstrates that Béatrice, already one of her generation's greatest Auteure-Compositeur-Interprète, is also an accomplished singer-songwriter-composer. It is also an album that despite the touches of three distinctive producers is seamlessly framed by her distinctive and expressive vocal style.
Having conquered the Francophone world, "Roses" more than suggests that Cœur de pirate will make her mark on the Anglophone community...
Cœur de pirate (Website), (tumblr)
"Roses" (Bandcamp)
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