Artist: José González Album: Against The Dying Of The Light Label: City Slang Link: https://jose-gonzalez.com/ Genre: Pop, Folk
The José González we are talking about here is, of course, the musician, born in 1978 to Argentine political refugee parents in Sweden. He took his first musical steps in several hardcore punk bands, though he also sang in a choir and quickly traded his electric guitar for an acoustic one, which better suited his influences, notably the Cuban Silvio Rodríguez. He released his debut album in 2003, and the growing importance of his musical commitments led him to abandon a PhD in biochemistry. He then collaborated with numerous groups, and his music was initially used as much for advertising as for film and video games.
Through the lyrics of his fifth studio album, Against The Dying Of The Light, José González almost asks us what remains today of the Age of Enlightenment. In any case, he prompts us to question the ways of thinking that are becoming commonplace in the Western world. To do so, he arms himself with his reassuring voice and his guitar, from which he quietly plucks the notes. This album strikes a balance between light and shadow, offering a folk sound that could just as easily draw inspiration from Bert Jansch, Leonard Cohen, or Simon & Garfunkel—though it lacks the vocal harmonies of the latter duo, even if the studio setting occasionally helps alleviate the artist’s solitude.
A few ethereal percussion sounds and claps in the background, resonances from the guitar’s body that fill the soundstage beyond the speakers, and a voice that is always soothing; this is the setup that highlights the Swedish guitarist’s talent. The instrument has volume, and the sound unfolds to better envelop us. The strings are indeed nylon and the guitar is made of wood, which comes across with perfect naturalness on a high-quality system or high-performance speakers. No excess is needed to draw us into listening to Against The Dying Of The Light, which knows how to combine a definition pleasing to audiophiles with a warmth made for long listening sessions by music lovers.
Following the Cotys phono preamp (test VU#63 FR; Remarkable), Thrax returns to its new Evolution series with the Janus.
Housed in a chassis similar to the first model in the series, except that the four switches have been replaced by two dials next to the front-panel touchscreen, the Janus digital-to-analogue converter stands out thanks to its R2R conversion and ultra-low-phase-noise clock system.
Capable of playing files up to 768 kHz/32-bit PCM and DSD512, the Janus does not aim to compete on the basis of the best measurements, but rather on the best musicality. For conversion, it uses a 20-bit R2R chip to avoid creating interference linked to PCB boards and internal circuits or wiring. A Data-Burst conversion protocol silences the system prior to conversion to ensure a reading free from electrical noise. And to ensure reliability and synchronize the signal with extreme precision, a biphasic synchronization separates clock processing from data processing.
The AES/EBU, coaxial S/PDIF and USB Audio ports are galvanically isolated and protected by transformers specially designed to block radio frequencies. A pair of analogue XLR or RCA terminals also allows the Janus to be used as a preamplifier, particularly as it features real analogue volume control. On the output side, here too you can choose between a balanced XLR pair or an unbalanced RCA pair.
Thanks to its 8-pin port, the Janus can operate without the power supplied via the EIC socket, running even more quietly, by connecting it to the series’ forthcoming battery, the Titan. It is launched at a European price of 9 000 €.
Artist: Vincent Peirani Album: Living Being IV (Time Reflections) Label: ACT Link: https://vincent-peirani.com/ Style: Contemporary Jazz
Encouraged by his musician father, Vincent Peirani took up the accordion and enrolled at the Nice Conservatory, where he studied classical clarinet. He won numerous prizes and classical music competitions with both his clarinet and his accordion. At the age of 20, he immersed himself in jazz and received instruction from Daniel Humair and Ricardo Del Fra, among others. His career in this style has been no less brilliant than in the previous ones, and alongside numerous publications under his own name, he has collaborated extensively in jazz, French chanson and world music, with Youn Sun Nah, Stromae and Richard Bona, to name but the most high-profile.
Signed to the ACT label since 2013, Vincent Peirani uses his accordion not to define his music, but as a means of travelling between styles. The fact that he performs as part of a quintet on this album allows him to multiply the facets of the tracks, reflecting the artist’s influences. In the track ‘LL’ (a tribute to Lionel Loueke), we move from free jazz to progressive rock. This is followed by ‘Physical Attraction’, whose groove looks towards Jamaica, then ‘Better Days’, where classical and folk meet, and finally the very pop ‘Bremain Suite’, which borrows the themes of its musical digressions from Queen, Portishead and the Beatles.
Once again, ACT treats us to an album that is perfectly produced in terms of both sound recording and mastering. The great clarity is accompanied by a softness that avoids any coldness or over-definition and pays perfect homage to the acoustic instruments. Unlike many accordionists’ albums, the accordion, although very present, does not overwhelm the other musicians. What we hear is a quintet, with each member playing a part in the compositions and the sound colour of the album. Here, the drums are mellow yet percussive, and the saxophone avoids any excessive brilliance, always maintaining a warm sound.
Artist: Toro Y Moi Album: Unerthed: Hole Erth Unplugged Label: Dead Oceans Link: https://toroymoi.com/ Style: Electro, Folk
American Chazwick Bradley Bundick graduated in graphic design from the University of South Carolina. With three fellow students, he founded his first indie rock band before joining forces with the artist Washed Out. Like Washed Out, during his solo career under the name Toro Y Moi, he went through several phases before finally settling on a quiet, sensual pop sound with a strong electronic influence, where synthesizers and samples reign supreme. He released his first album, Causers Of This, in 2010 and has since released a dozen or so albums, dabbling in different styles according to his desires and inspirations.
Accustomed to musical contradictions, Toro Y Moi offers us a reinterpretation of Hole Erth, his previous album with a strong electro influence, in which he used computers and filters almost to excess. With Unerthed: Hole Erth Unplugged, the artificial flourishes have been abandoned, and the central elements return to the acoustic realm with guitar and vocals. It is even surprising to discover these compositions in a version stripped of all artifice, showing how some of them can be content with simplicity to ultimately highlight their strength. For this album, we will therefore look for comparisons in folk accompanied by a light psychedelic veneer.
With these new arrangements, the songs take on an unexpected character, with the strings of the folk or slide guitar vibrating gently. Carried along on a down tempo rhythm, they follow the lead vocals and backing vocals. Even though they don’t hesitate to show that they are made of metal, they avoid going too high and overloading the tweeters. A violin or piano accompanies them on certain tracks, but it is always the mid-range frequencies (and therefore the vocals) that are seductive with their presence within a soundstage of unfailing stability.
Artist: The Beths Album: Straight Line Was A Lie Label: Anti – Epitaph Link: https://www.thebeths.com/ Style: Pop, Pop/Rock, Alternative & Indie
The Beths is a New Zealand quartet led by Elizabeth Stokes, who sings, writes all the lyrics and composes most of the band’s songs. She is accompanied by Jonathan Pearce on guitar, Benjamin Sinclair on bass (they also provide backing vocals), and Tristan Deck on drums. In retrospect, their rise has been fairly rapid, as they have attracted public and critical interest since their first album was released in 2018. Their reputation has been reinforced by regular international tours. Straight Line Was A Lie is their fourth studio album to date.
In writing this album, the singer moves away from lyrics centered on romantic love and the relative success that can accompany it. She delivers much more intimate yet universal lyrics, relating to her doubts and, above all, her physical and mental health. The strength of this music lies in its ability to maintain a communicative joy and brightness despite its deeper themes. As on previous albums, the choruses are particularly catchy, and the melodies have the lightness and immediate freshness of pop songs that you want to listen to again and again without question.
As on previous albums, the band demonstrates its expertise in vocal and instrumental harmonies. As always, Elizabeth Stokes’ vibrant voice remains the most memorable, but it is when she is backed by the backing vocals, as in ‘Til My Heart Stops’, that she is most moving. The sound of the electric guitar rarely strays from its clear tone; it can sometimes take on an extra layer of saturation to present a livelier face. The rhythm section follows the same pattern, with an effective snare drum taking the lead on ‘Take’, the catchiest track on the album.
