Every month, our music journalists add around 20 songs to La Presse’s Spotify playlist. These recent titles can be found in our selection.
It is with a ballad to which she adds a melancholy and a languor of which she alone has the secret that Lana Del Rey makes us wait a few more days before the release of her ninth album Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, the March 24. The offering promises to be generous with 16 songs and 77 minutes of music. Sleek, the piano arrangements of The Grants extract leave plenty of room for gospel-inspired vocal harmonies. The three singers who accompany Lana Del Rey are none other than Melodye Perry, Pattie Howard and Shikena Jones, who appeared in the excellent documentary 20 Feet from Stardom, focusing on great singers in the history of popular music who have remained too much in the dark.
Admittedly, this is a cover… But what a cover! Florence the Machine brilliantly tackles the song that propelled the group No Doubt into the stratosphere of groups to listen to… in the 1990s. Twenty-eight years later, this piece comes back to life thanks to the Yellowjackets series, accompanying the second season trailer. Florence strips it of its original ska essence to give us… well, Florence the Machine! Vaporous opening, change of tempo, great place for percussion, a choir and strident notes of a piano which acts as a common thread. We repeat, a big recovery.
The inspiration for the title of KNLO’s new piece comes from his longtime friend Étienne Bossé, aka Bosslab. Graphic designer, the latter has collaborated with the rapper on many occasions as well as with his group, Alaclair Ensemble, and Souldia, among others. The piece is described as a “still life” in which challenges to art and the state of our society are discussed. The canvas is a creation of VLooper, which provides the sounds of Alaclair’s albums. The result is a catchy and bouncy track. The versatility of KNLO’s flow is once again highlighted, as well as the intelligence of his pen.
The singer-songwriter offers a new song, Polymorphe, which is in the exact continuity of her second album Musivision released in 2021. We find her ethereal and mysterious universe, always on the border of dream and reality, more dream pop than ever and lying on a soft bed of synths. The rocking melody, the caressing voice, all contribute to the dreamlike character of Laurence-Anne’s music, and it’s always a pleasure to curl up in it.
The septet Comment Debord had launched its excellent first record in the midst of a pandemic, and we must admit that we feared that it would not survive this difficult period. So what a joy to rediscover the vernacular poetry and the irresistible groove of the most laid-back band in town, which calls precisely in this new disco-funk song to the pleasure of dancing and partying! Comment Debord also announces shows in November, so we can expect a new album in the coming months.
A first Sub Pop album released in 2021 that we quickly forgot, let’s say it, but now Leal Neale is back in force and could well mark the pop-rock scene this year, she who will offer Star Eaters Delight at the end of the month of April. Listening to this piece suggests a beautiful sunny spring for the American. We are here in the easy ritornello, the catchy rhythms, typed for the radio waves… and for the cerebral cortex: difficult indeed to forget and not to dance under the notes of guitars and organ (yes, yes, d ‘organ). And what a beautiful bass line!
Almost four years since the release of her magnificent third album, The Ballad of the Runaway Girl. The Inuk singer is giving us a nice gift at the end of winter with Uummati Attarnarsimat, her very personal version of Blondie’s classic Heart of Glass. Translated into Innuktituk by Elisapie herself and produced by her accomplice Joe Grass, the song which was born in 1979, in the heart of the disco wave, here takes on a much more melancholy dimension. Beautiful.
Less than a year after the release of her first album The Paradise Club, Claudia Bouvette is already releasing a new song. On Highly Unrecommended, the prolific singer-songwriter is still as interested in the movements of the heart and the body, and offers a frankly well-turned melancholy pop song about forbidden loves. Here is one that has found its place.
Director and multi-instrumentalist Félix Petit is relaunching his FELP project with a new song, in collaboration with singer-songwriter Klô Pelgag. Félix Petit is usually less at the forefront, since he works as a producer and as a musician with artists like Les Louanges, Hubert Lenoir or Safia Nolin. On Babyfoot, a jazzy and frenetic song, Klô Pelgag sings in a flow that approaches rap. Good news: the song is the first single from an upcoming FELP album, due later this year.
The always prolific Jon Matte, singer-songwriter behind The Franklin Electric project, seems to have an infinity of songs in mind, which he never hesitates to share by regularly releasing new singles. This time, it is with the piece Call Me that he charms us. An all-acoustic piece, with a repeated riff, on which he uses repetition to tell a person he loves that he doesn’t want to see them leave. His folk is touching, Call Me listens like a lullaby.
Montreal director and DJ Robert Robert’s first album of songs, Silicone Villeray, delighted us two years ago. We find him again with Alex, a slightly disillusioned new pop song, as strange as it is danceable. We are pleased to see that the new singer-songwriter has not lost touch, and if in addition Alex announced the coming of a new album to brighten up our summer, we could not be happier.
VioleTT Pi is the project of singer-songwriter Karl Gagnon, who had not released an album since Manifeste contre la fear in 2016. Good news, He who waits, the new song very melodious and catchy which he has just launched, announces a new album for April 21, Baloney Suicide – this is also the title of his collection of poetry released in 2019. The one who waits is surprisingly less punk than what he told us regulars, but we have no doubt that VioleTT Pi has some surprises in store for us for the future.
David Bujold says it – or rather shouts it – and, after listening, we confirm that yes, everything is fine on this new track from the Montreal stoner rock band. The guitars are strident, the drums are strong and the bass fat, while the jerky rhythm heard allows you to tap your feet and multiply your headbutts. The irony of the lyrics adds to the – not guilty – pleasure of listening to this song, a prelude to an album expected in May. In this era of economic austerity and political gloom, we like to be shouted “Ta yeule tout va ben” at the top of our lungs by a Bujold in great vocal form.
Formed in 2013, jazz trio Slowly Rolling Camera have been slowing down the beat for a few years. After three albums and an EP, Galois Dave Stapleton, Elliot Bennett and Deri Roberts announced at the end of 2022 their intention to release fewer albums… but more singles. And here comes this piece, the second collaboration in a few weeks with the Finnish trumpeter Verneri Pohjola. The atmosphere is warm, calm, conducive to a glass of wine while watching the sunset. All that’s missing is summer…
A new song by Philippe B, six years after La grande nuit vidéo, is already good news. That we announce at the same time the imminent arrival of a new album, it is joy and joy! In Nouvelle administration, a song about change and new beginnings, we find the essence of what we love about the singer-songwriter: a perfectly chiseled text, a stirring melody, a sober coating that makes the song even more moving. We didn’t realize we missed him so much.
Hauterive is the name of a brand new duo made up of music road warriors and longtime friends Catherine Durand and Mara Tremblay. The two singer-songwriters, who have had solo careers for twenty years, have pooled their talents to create an album which will be released at the end of April. This first song, Aller-retour, which evokes the road and life on tour, is a joy of harmonies and pure and light folk. If the sequel is on the same level, these two are about to strike a blow.
Two years after the release of her fourth album The Age of Aquarius, Yelle released a new song titled Top Fan. Is it a declaration of love to his audience? To her child? A clever mix of the two? “I think I touched your little heart / Triggered smiles, stupors”, sings the artist born under the name of Julie Budet and who recently became a mother. From February 25 to March 2, Yelle will perform in the United States from Brooklyn to San Diego. As we say in Quebec, she would be “due” for a visit to Montreal.
Thierry Larose has just unveiled another song from Sprint!, his second album which will be released on March 10 and for which expectations are very high. There is a form of humor in If you don’t understand now (you may never understand), a lucid, poetic and brilliantly written song about generational divides. In this irresistible pop anthem, the young singer-songwriter puts all the gum into the interpretation. It is precisely for this intensity that we are so impatient to hear the sequel.
Fans and lovers of The National’s music, reserve a five-minute time slot to listen to this piece composed by The Golden Dregs, Benjamin Woods’ musical project. While, to our knowledge, there is no artistic connection between the New York band and the English-born Corwell-born singer-songwriter-producer, the music heard seems to emanate from the same family: the baritone voice by Woods recalls that of Matt Berninger, the amalgamation of strings and wind instruments is of the same nature, as is this propensity to want to establish a cozy atmosphere.
We haven’t seen the movie Montana Story, directed by David Siegel and Scott McGehee and starring Haley Lu Richardson and Owen Teague. On the other hand, we were eager to hear the soundtrack of this feature film released last year. The reason: it was composed by songwriter Kevin Morby, a first exercise in this style for him. A few days ago, therefore, Music From Montana Story arrived, where he offers alt-country pieces where acoustic guitar, violin and piano are the master instruments. The opus ends beautifully with Like A Flower, a ballad in which Morby sings of nostalgia for childhood, wide open spaces and wonder. Beautiful as a sunrise.
After a highly acclaimed first album, A. M. I. E. S. A. M. O. U. R., LUMIÈRE – Étienne Côté, his real name – will be back in April with Glam, a title that looks a lot like him, by the way! The flamboyant drummer of the group Bon Enfant gives an overview of this new album with a first song, Rock Band, which tells the story of a young musician who left the countryside to come and make music in the city. Inspired by the excess and lyricism of the 1970s, the whole thing sounds a lot like a song from a rock musical. Very appetizing for the future.
The great news: The National announces an album release on April 28, followed by a tour of Europe and the United States – no dates in Canada are scheduled at this time. Titled First Two Pages of Frankenstein, the ninth album by the American rock band contains 11 tracks and notable collaborations: Sufjan Stevens (on the opening track), Phoebe Bridgers (on two compositions) and Taylor Swift are the guests of Matt Berninger and Dessner and Devendorf brothers. The group says that this disc will mark a musical turning point. Listening to the simple Tropic Morning News, we indeed discover some new electro elements, but we remain on familiar ground – for our greatest pleasure!
The supergroup formed by Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus presented themselves in fine fashion in 2018 with an eponymous mini-album; we then discovered the strength of the texts of these three young lyricists with their already mature pen as well as their talent for the construction of catchy folk-rock compositions. Their respective projects working very well, one would have thought that the three artists would not do it again… But here it is: boygenius announces his return on March 31 with the album The Record. Listening to a few tracks already online — including the furious $20 — you’ll find everything you loved about the first opus: intelligent pop, a sad folk-rock aura and sublime lyrics.
The year 2023 will mark the great return of Peter Gabriel, whose age does not seem to affect the creative genius. The singer, who turns 73 in February, arrives this year with I/O, his first collection of original songs since the excellent Up, released in September 2002. Surrounded by his lifelong accomplices — bassist Tony Levin, guitarist David Rhodes as well as the drummer Manu Katché -, Gabriel served a superb appetizer at the start of the year with the piece Panopticom, while waiting to leave on tour in Europe in May.
Mélissa Laveaux and Pierre Lapointe had already offered us two years ago a formidable duet, Noël Lougawou, which appears on the Christmas album of the Quebec singer. To continue this rich collaboration, the French-Canadian singer-songwriter of Haitian origin has decided to cover her song The Whale, which appears on her album Mama Forgot Her Name Was Miracle (2022), and to ask Pierre Lapointe to sing it with her, in French and Creole. Their voices still harmonize as much, and the two singers gently lead us into this undulating nightmare-dream from which we do not want to leave. When is a full album for two?
In 2018, we fell in love with the opening track of multi-instrumentalist Katherine Paul’s debut album: the hushed voice heard between the chords – in crescendo – of a very electric guitar, on the grandiose track Soft Stud , introduced us to the musical talent of a woman who grew up on the Swinomish Reservation in northwestern Washington State. The new track, Nobody, is — almost — of the same caliber and announces the release of the queer singer’s third album, which bears the artist name Black Belt Eagle Scout, and will deal with the search for identity and the place natives in America.
The French singer-songwriter continues his musical explorations… by returning to a very classic formula. This second extract from the album La vie, which will be released on February 17, is beautifully wrapped in a string arrangement – we are far from its disco turn of a few years ago, even if there is of course sounds of ondes Martenot and Cristal Baschet that remind us that we are at Arthur H. Titanic is an epic five-minute song that tells the story of a musician from the orchestra who plays until the end, a bewitching piece carried by the emotional interpretation of the singer. Frankly beautiful.
Jeannot Bournival is a shadow craftsman who, for 20 years, has been writing, composing, producing and arranging for others. But the one who is a close collaborator of Fred Pellerin and Tire le coyote will take center stage by releasing a first album of songs in his name, With a view of the bitter, on February 24. He unveiled a first song, Our ghosts, which speaks of a couple who has lost sight of each other, in a stripped coating highlighting his very embodied voice. Very attractive as a first meeting.
