Artist: Big Thief Album: Double Infinity Label: 4AD Link: https://www.bigthief.net/ Style:Folk, Pop, Alternative & Indie
Although the four members of Big Thief met while studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston, it was only after graduating that they began playing music together. In 2016, when their first album Masterpiece was released, they were still unknown. Now, with a decade-long career and a handful of albums under their belt, they are one of the most influential folk artists on the independent scene. Their public and critical success continues to grow with each release, reinforced by the solo projects of the band’s members.
After a change of drummer and the recent departure of their bassist, Big Thief are releasing a sixth album featuring numerous guest musicians. While their method may have changed, their inspiration remains as intense as ever, carried by Adrianne Lenker’s powerful songwriting and emotionally charged vocals. It’s guitar-based folk, certainly, but while retaining the intimate and personal aspect that makes this style so appealing, Big Thief adds a broader, more ethereal dimension that takes the listener further, to a dimension that allows this music to appeal to an ever-growing audience.
In line with the evolution of their sound as their discography has progressed, this album benefits from a magnificent production that highlights the timbres and emotions conveyed by the band’s musicians and guest artists. Their number gives rise to the variety mentioned above and may confuse those looking for a copy of Adrianne Lenker’s magnificent latest solo album. On the other hand, attentive music lovers will delight in the intertwining voices and the steady, calm drumming, over which the intense melodies of acoustic and electric guitars float. In addition, the sound recording is so clean that everything is perfectly clear, making for an even greater audiophile pleasure.
Artist: Alain Kan Album: Heureusement En France, On Ne Se Drogue Pas Label: Disques Motors Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZsA-cCWPXU&list=RDsZsA-cCWPXU&start_radio=1 Style: French chanson, rock
Alain Michel Zisa is a French artist who is almost as cult as he is unknown. Too ahead of his time for some, too marginal for others, he speaks openly about his homosexuality and drug use, which at the time led to him being simply censored by the media system. Adding to his legend, he literally disappeared in 1990 after being seen for the last time on a subway platform; he was declared dead ten years later without anyone ever being able to explain what had happened to him.
Having never known his father, he took his stepfather’s name and became Christophe’s brother-in-law when Christophe married his half-sister Véronique. He began his career in the early 1960s with a few singles and maxi singles, covers of Anglo-Saxon hits in a pop style, which did not have much impact. On Dani’s advice, he joined the Alcarzar revue, playing an androgynous character named Amédée Jr. There, he met established artists such as Serge Gainsbourg and Barbara. During this period, one of his songs was censored for the first time: “Mon p’tit photographe,” written for Dani.
Gradually, his “cabaret song” style evolved into a glam rock sound heavily inspired by the British pop of the time, particularly David Bowie, whom he claims to have spent a few days with during a trip to England and whose songs he often covered. His first album, Et Gary Cooper s’éloigna dans le désert… (And Gary Cooper Walked Away Into the Desert…), was released in 1975 and featured former Magma member Laurent Thibault. The album had little impact, being too far removed from mainstream pop and too subversive in its lyrics. Alain Kan nevertheless repeated the experiment the following year with Heureusement En France, On Ne Se Drogue Pas, which remained in the same glam spirit but with longer tracks, incorporating hints of psychedelic sounds or at least leaving more room for the possibilities offered by the studio, as in the music of Jacques Higelin during the same period. In fact, it is Jacques Higelin who comes to mind when listening to the track “Dracula.” Alain Kan demonstrates his great interpretive abilities, moving from harmonious, light singing to a voice full of anger or an almost unreal way of speaking when he covers Édith Piaf’s “Les Blouses Blanches.” Although not necessarily intended for a wide audience, the tracks with lyrics focused on illicit substances earned the record censorship, resulting in very limited distribution. For the next album, he took a step closer to the emerging punk movement and, whether out of pure naivety or deliberate provocation, the artist went even further in his excesses. Wanting to mock it, he included excerpts from a speech by Adolf Hitler. Of course, the censors were unforgiving: the record was pulped.
Today, his first three albums—mentioned in this review—can be listened to on streaming sites for the Motors label, and Heureusement En France, On Ne Se Drogue Pas is relatively easy to find on vinyl. We can therefore immerse ourselves in a time of transition, alongside a wholehearted and inspired artist, a figure of the French underground, close to Daniel Darc and Fred Chichin of Les Rita Mitsouko.
A true workaholic when it comes to composition, American Danny Elfman has written over a hundred film soundtracks, mainly for Hollywood, as well as music for TV series and more personal works such as Serenada Schizophrana. Unusually for his peers, he did not pursue academic training, coming instead from the world of rock music. From his early work in film, he became friends with the young director Tim Burton, for whom he would compose the music for seventeen of his films and voice animated characters, notably in The Nightmare Before Christmas.
A sought-after composer of soundtracks and a specialist in fantastical atmospheres, Danny Elfman was the obvious choice for the music of this new Dracula. Small miniatures create a moment suspended in time, revealing the wonderful and magical through the strings and choirs, almost fairy-like, rudely interrupted by percussive interventions that herald danger. Fortunately for those listening to the album in its entirety, the rendering avoids being too grandiose. Let’s hope that this music will have less trouble finding its audience than Luc Besson’s film itself.
We appreciate the timbres of the strings and voices that position themselves in front of us. The little tinkles that appear here and there carry us away delicately; nothing is missing. And when all the instruments come into play, with force and weight, the space seems to expand all at once. The brass remains in the lower register, leaving the strings and piano to take the higher notes and carry the tragic melodies that Danny Elfman is so fond of. The quality of the recording allows for high-volume listening, which enhances the immersion in these particular atmospheres as well as the differentiation between the sections. It then becomes possible to enjoy it on a soundbar, even without the images.
Artist: Ami Taf Ra Album: The Prophet And The Madman Label: Brainfeeder Link: https://amitafra.com/ Style: Contemporary Jazz
American artist Ami Taf Ra is part of the spiritual jazz scene based in Los Angeles. In her first album, The Prophet And The Madman, her North African roots are particularly evident in her musical interpretations of the writings of Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran. Among the many guests featured on these tracks is her regular collaborator, saxophonist and ensemble director Kamasi Washington. A musician who seems to be everywhere, given his presence on so many recent albums, he honors a jazz that builds the future while remaining conscious of its rich past.
Apart from a few passages that show a subtle simplicity, The Prophet And The Madman is a dense album, a rich tapestry woven with instrumental lace, where the arrangements combine richness and an airy style. While a few Arabic accents can sometimes be heard, such as in the drawn-out chant of “Khalil,” it is above all the legacy of spiritual jazz that blends with free jazz. In the middle of the album, numerous inspirations from African-American culture, such as funk and gospel, seem to inhabit the rhythms and vocals. In fact, it’s easy to imagine certain tracks being part of the soundtrack of a film in the vein of Shaft or Trouble Man.
Richness and luxuriance are the words that best characterize the music of The Prophet And The Madman. From “How I Became A Madman,” the first real track on the album, we know what to expect: a multitude of rhythms and percussion, a multitude of sounds and instruments. All the musical lines intertwine and stand out according to the musical convolutions. The voice, quite high-pitched, seems to both fly over and guide all these vibrations in motion. Saxophone, electric guitar, and piano arrive quietly before blending into a texture that is never muddled, where everything remains clear in music that is as lucid as it is complex.
Artist: Alex G Album: Headlights Label: RCA Records Link: www.sandyalexg.com Style: Pop, Folk, Alternative & Indie
Alex Giannascoli was introduced to the guitar at the age of eleven by his older brother. At the same time, he began composing and recording himself in his bedroom. In high school, he played in several bands in his hometown of Havertown, Pennsylvania, which allowed him to explore different musical styles. Between 2010 and 2012, the young man released his work independently on Bandcamp, which earned him a strong online following and led to him signing with various labels, including Domino, before signing with RCA. He cites Neil Young and Elliott Smith as his inspirations, and the lo-fi sound of his early work also brings his music closer to that of the band Pavement.
Still centered around his guitar, his compositions oscillate between acoustic folk reminiscent of Bonnie Prince Billy and a much more lush and electric pop. Strings and backing vocals, featuring the singer’s partner, add an extra dimension to a few tracks without sounding too conventional. Although Headlights is a departure from his early online recordings, he has managed to retain the indie charm that made him such an authentic artist. Fans will not be disappointed by this album, which is also likely to appeal to a new audience.
Long reluctant to record in a studio rather than at home, for fear of losing total control of his music in the face of technology he doesn’t fully master, Alex G took the plunge for his previous album and repeats the experience with Headlights. To do so, he once again placed his trust in Jacob Portrait, and the result is clearly convincing. The Lo-Fi spirit is preserved, with a homemade feel still present, but with a much cleaner and more precise sound that is better suited to listening on a high-quality system, allowing you to appreciate the intertwining of the melodic lines and the timbres of the instruments.
