Headphones required / Mets tes écouteurs • A music podcast

Big changes are on the horizon for this podcast. Due to different circumstances, Headphones required / Mets tes écouteurs won’t be a bilingual show anymore; it’s much easier for me to record a show without having to constantly switch from english to french. It will also allow me to include interviews, something I always was hesitant to do because of the fact that a language would have to be predominant over the other one.

I will also take this opportunity to merge my podcasts with my blogging activities, which are available at laurentlasalle.com. Even thought most of the shows will be in french, some english shows might appear from time to time. Also, the music will still be considerated as core of this podcast, so if you liked Headphones required’s music, you should definitively stick around.

Un petit retour sur le PodMtl enrobé de musique electro, pop, indie et alternative…

 Episode 069 [55:30m]: Download

 

 Episode 069 [55:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

(Version française par ici)

Absurd lyrics, reminiscent of Pavement or Jean Leloup, but as oppose to Leloup, Jean-Philippe Fréche actually sings his words. Here’s what could be your first impressions of Navet Confit’s LP2².

Second main release of this musical project, that gave us popular tracks like Asphalte and Autmone, LP2² was risky since it’s not everyday you see indie bands coming up with double album so early in their lifetime.

When you consider that the artist isn’t taking himself seriously (which would be hard we songs titles that can be translated as follow: You always watch the movie credits all the way to the end, January (the month) and With the conviction of a stoned teenager girl) and you listen to the music, this album is really sweet. If you already knew about Navet Confit and weren’t impressed, let me tell you that this album is way more musical than its prequel, LP1.

Of course, since it’s a double length album, you are bound to hit some slow moments. Peak moments include Tu regardes toujours le générique jusqu’à la fin, La Poste, Tes bottes sont comme des tigres qui mangent tes jambes (much better version than what was on Nightlife Magazine’s Noise & Friendz compilation) and Piscine = Piste de danse to name a few. Once you listen to it a couple of time, I consider every songs meaningful.

Even thought this album might not please to everyone, it is still one of the most important album québécois of the year. Sometimes rock, sometimes folk, sometimes absolutely psychedelic…

LP2²
Navet Confit
Released by GSI Musique in 2007

(Version française ici)

The minute I first heard this album, I knew that I was going to fall for No Shouts No Calls this year. As suggested by my favorite record store, Electrelane, it’s sort of an hybrid project between the original sound of Stereolab and the post rock sound of Couch. Electrelane, it’s goooood… ^_^

Even thought this album doesn’t feature much candy tunes like The Reminder, No Shouts No Call is offering a more consistent sound. If you’re like me, To The East and Tram 21 will be among your favorites songs.

The band is really strong musically, which makes for long tracks that are revealing themselves progressively, constructed with a wide variety of instruments. We are definitively far from your traditional rock settings, with 2 guitars, a bass and a drum kit.

Less emphasis on lyrics, more on harmony, No Shouts No Calls is a refreshing album that really stands out of competition this year in my opinion. If you like the kraut / post rock sound, are digging feminine voices and multilayered music, this album will fulfill your needs.

Simple, short with no boring tracks, my ninth album for 2007…

No Shouts No Calls
Electrelane
Released by Too Pure in 2007

(Version française par ici)

To quote Sir George Martin to a lesser degree on what he said about The Beatles’ White Album, I think that she should have reduce the number of songs in order to form an E.P. featuring her stronger work.

If you literally remove the last 4 songs, the result is a 33:56 long disc of awesome quality, a perfectly balanced album. And according to how I did the rankings for this Top 10, this imaginary album would have rank on top of all the others.

Sometimes folk, sometimes pop, Leslie Feist’s baby is well contrasted, a quality that I compusively look for when I am looking for music to by. As much as you get the popular jingles that you’ve heard on tv ads, you get as well folk tunes, songs that wants to be learned, to be played over a campfire, like The Park. Love is the driving subject behind that album, which gives it a strong feminine flavor.

You can tell that many songs will become canadian pop classics over time, like I Feel It All, Past In Present and 1 2 3 4. The idea to start this album with So Sorry was surprising to me at first, but it’s easy to guess that there might be a personal motive that explains this odd introduction.

Feist’s writing is really personal, and when she speaks in the third person, she’s always speaking of herself. Because of her writing skills, she manages to makes her boring songs (like I said, the last 4 tunes are a not as good) fly above your typical radio bullshit.

For example, Brandy Alexander takes forever to introduce its complete melody. Intuition follows the same pattern, Honey, Honey is musicaly distinctive, but so long and boring. I really had a hard time to listen to the album as a whole, I only did it so I could write this review objectively and knowing all songs.

It would be easy to glorify this album quickly after having heard the first couple of tunes, but that would be a mistake, something I am trying not to reproduce. I have been careful this time around. Even thought this album ranks at number 10, The Reminder is a must have.

It goes without saying that this album is still in front of about sixty others that I’ve bought in 2007…

The Reminder
Feist
Released by Arts & Crafts in 2007