With I Need to Stay HereElliot Maginot delivers a more rooted fourth album, in which he more fully assumes his place in the world, as well as his inner bibite.
“Any album is always a kind of assessment,” believes the Montreal singer-songwriter who thinks as he speaks, that is to say quickly and a lot, which contrasts with the melancholy side of his music. “What have I done, what do I want to do, why, is it still worth it?” As we get older, things must have deeper and deeper meaning. »
His career is surely linked to this reflection: after two first albums which had less influence, Elliot Maginot met his audience around the release ofEasy Morningin 2021. This new album arrives after three busy years of touring, but even if he has gained in confidence, financial security and recognition, the 35-year-old singer never stops questioning the meaning of this that he does – more than ever even, while the music industry is going through a difficult period since the pandemic.
Extract of For the Livingby Elliot Maginot
To act
I Need to Stay Here is a reflection of this questioning… and the answers that come with it, he tells us during a very intense interview in his apartment in Hochelaga. “I said to myself: this is my situation. Do you want to stay here, on this Earth, in this neighborhood, in this job, with the people you love and love less? The answer was yes. The album is a kind of ode to: here are the cards that are given to me. Because I will not have another face, another brain, another society. »
He will not be born in another era either, we add. He nods and admits that he only recently understood that he will not have a second chance to live his life.
“It’s cliché, but I understood that if you don’t take charge, there’s no change. And I want to be a more active part of my destiny, my family, my environment, everything! You are not just a particle that bounces around without control, you have a field of action, you have things to bring to people, and there are things that people can bring to you if you accept it. »
Isn’t that called becoming an adult? Elliot Maginot grimaces a little: it seems like he doesn’t like the idea very much. But that’s not the case, he replies, because he now knows that being an adult doesn’t necessarily mean “going flat and beige and losing your fantasy.”
“On the contrary, I feel more like a child than ever, because I am more solid. Being an adult doesn’t mean killing your inner beast! It’s feeling more confident to let it live, and show it to the world. »
Daily
Elliot Maginot wanted to anchor himself more in his texts, and this also came to fruition musically. After using West African instruments in his previous album, this one leans towards American root and traditional Irish music, with instruments to match: mandolin, banjo, violin, flute, pedal steel …
Extract of Then I Rememberedby Elliot Maginot
“But I don’t pretend to make a traditional or country album. It’s just that I wanted to hear these sounds. When I’m obsessed with an instrument, I find the person who plays it best, and we make songs together. »
For Elliot Maginot, instrumentation is more than packaging, it is a means of expression in itself. With these arrangements, the idea was to seek poetry in everyday life.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Elliot Maginot
When I walk in Hochelaga, I hear more a pedal steel than a symphony orchestra. Do you understand what I mean? One is not better than the other, you can want to get out of your everyday life and do something magnificent. But here, what I wanted to say is: I live here.
Elliot Maginot
Using instruments associated with popular music was the normal extension of these very “earthly” desires, just like recording the album by bringing the musicians together in a single room.
“We did this in my place next door. We built a somewhat guerrilla studio, we had no choice but to play together, with the noise from the alley, the heating we hear, the creaking floorboards. I love that. »
He preferred this side it is what it is to sonic perfection, even if it comes with its share of insecurity. “Especially since people don’t care a bit. You are obsessed with your guitar tones, or with choosing the best track, but people hear a song, an intention. »
Excerpt fromOrdinary Lifeby Elliot Maginot
The musician co-produced the album with his lifelong friend and accomplice Connor Seidel, a bit in this spirit of seeing how things evolve, without a precise plan, through openness and listening. This is also how he sings, with this fairly high voice with a slight tremolo, moving and particular, which he swears he cannot completely control. “My only tool is to pitch myself and see what happens!” »
Elliot Maginot has already started performing again and hopes that as many people as possible will come and hear his new songs. He also dreams that there will no longer be a separation between his life as a touring musician and his life as a creator, and promises himself to be more open with the public in performance. “Just letting the music be what it is, and having fun. Be more towards and in the world. »
Like in the album finally? ” Yes. I want it to be coherent and for my life to be a whole. To bring creativity back into all of this. Not to wait until you’re tired of this cycle to move on to the next one. Let it be more fluid and moving, rather than a single line to death. »
Folk
I Need to Stay Here
Elliot Maginot
Audiogram