PLS (sunset version), by Safia Nolin
It was difficult for us to decide which version of this sublime track to add to this list – our choice fell on the one that was to be let off steam! Safia Nolin offers on the minialbum SEUM four pieces with grunge sounds (“sunset”) as well as their acoustic variation (“sunrise”). A skilful and cathartic approach, where each variation arouses distinct and vivid emotions.
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The minialbum SEUM, by Safia Nolin
Easy morning, by Elliot Maginot
Few albums have played as much with the author of these lines, during the summer of 2021, asEasy morning by Elliot Maginot, whose title track is one of our favorites. Maginot has constructed acoustic pop-folk soundscapes, textured by the arrangements of strings and the judicious presence of West African instruments. A record that gives in to introspection as it depicts the musician’s more universal reflections.
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Easy morning, by Elliot Maginot
The Poison, by Rosier
The album Slightly was published last January. Already then we knew it would be one of our favorites of the year. A record of a thousand sound valleys. Between folk and groovy rock slips this affection for traditional resonances, which reaches its full scope on The Poison, reinterpretation of an old Quebec ballad.
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Slightly, by Rosier
Why Don’t You Touch Me, by Leon Bridges
Leon Bridges’ silky radiant neo-soul coats his best lyrics yet on the album Gold-Diggers Sound. The aesthetics and the sound quality of this record are absolutely fabulous; the room Why Don’t You Touch Me, which we have listened to an unspeakable number of times, is a (very good) example.
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Gold-Diggers Sound, by Leon Bridges
Listen, by Étienne Coppée
The harmonious voices of Etienne Coppée and her friends Flavie Melançon and Sabrina Fournier, on the piece Listen, transport us, make us soar. The track reflects the spirit of the record And we will cry together, on healing and friendship. This first Coppée album is a wonderful and touching achievement.
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And we will cry together, by Étienne Coppée
light blue, from Snail Mail
The vaporous light blue is one of those songs that you immediately play back when they end. And it’s not the only song of its kind on Valentine, second album by American singer-songwriter Lindsey Jordan, alias Snail Mail, whose voice, pop-rock choruses, words and melodies have lived in us for a long time.
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Valentine, from Snail Mail
The wide, by Louis-Jean Cormier
The wide is just one of the reasons why The sky is on the floor is in our opinion the best album of Louis-Jean Cormier’s career (yes, it said!). The mourning of the singer-songwriter led him to create an exceptional musical object. The texts are overwhelmingly vulnerable; the instrumental exploration of jazz, electro and orchestral, led by the piano, overwhelms us.
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The sky is on the floor, by Louis-Jean Cormier
Pleasure, by Marie Claudel
Pleasure is a jewel from the album Long version, a real treasure box. Singer-songwriter Marie Claudel has offered a second record that testifies to a clear desire to let go. The one who accompanies musicians on stage with the guitar is also made to present her own creations, here at the same time melancholy and stripping.
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Long version, by Marie Claudel
Never (I would have thought), from Valence
Never (I would have thought) contains in its four minutes everything you need to understand and appreciate the work of Valence. This piece from his superb debut album, Jumble, is catchy but nostalgic, punchy and uplifting, modern and vintage the same time. Just like the record as a whole, skilful and colorful, influenced by seventies.
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Jumble, from Valence