Cœur de pirate, CIVIC TV, and Ronley Teper & The Lipliners
Cœur de pirate
Impossible à aimer // Bravo musique
I’ve found a hidden gem. A treasure for my ears to delight in and I’m really excited to share with you Impossible à aimer by Cœur de pirate.
The sixth release from this French songbird. Beatrice Martin is Cœur de pirate. 10 years under this moniker. She has 5 previous releases… you may have heard of her. Also worth mentioning her credentials. Martin has won numerous awards and accolades such as being a 7 time recipient of the Felix awards. She’s received Female performer of the year, Pop album of the year, and SoCan songwriter of the year. Now that know a little more about the magnitude of Cœur de pirate I hope I’ve piqued your interest. Oh but I have so much to say yet.
World renowned by the French speaking community and English alike. Language has no barriers when you hear such a eloquent voice and the versatile styles covered. None of that really matters. It’s what Beatrice Martin crafts that has made so many to fall in love with her work. This album has awoken the dancer in me and it will move you too! Really move you! Get your dance slippers, platforms, or boots on and let’s get down and boogie.
“Une chanson brisée” a soft yet very striking piano number and what a perfect way to captivate you right from the start. She knows how to win your heart right from the start. I am very moved by this piece. Her voice is sweet and comforting, my ears pick up the odd word. The overall feeling is semi-sweet just going off feeling and vibe alone.
Alright now it’s time to strap on your most favourite pair of platforms because Cœur de pirate is taking you out dancing tonight! There are a few very notable disco tracks that you need to hear about. Disco isn’t dead... it’s merely reincarnated and morphed into something you will definitely appreciate.
First we have “On s’aimera toujours” and it’s sooooo delectable and danceable! Martin really honoured a classic element of disco when the the strings come in and dazzle you. Next best disco track is “Dans l'obscurité”. It’s like the wild west of Disco with its twangy long draw out guitar. Dark and dangerous and you’ll be snapping your fingers to this one. Then finally “Crépuscule” has the classic disco backbeat complete with piano trills to delight you and the electric guitar was nicely featured in this one.
Finally I want to mention the second last song, “La monopole de la douleur”. I feel my ballet slippers are better suited here. The harp comes chiming in and a heavenly vibe surrounds you like a sunshine. Martin sings and you can hear the warm frequencies she radiates as they embrace you. This one is like a hug. Then a guitar gently strummed adds another level of cozy.
Now that you know a little more about the magnitude of Cœur de pirate I hope you give into your curiosity and check out this songstress. I know you’ll be just smitten too. This one will definitely win some awards. Magnifique!!!!
Love Always,
Green Noreen
CIVIC TV
Black Moon // Flemish Eye
What happens when you combine the jazz-fusion of BADBADNOTGOOD, the vocal range of Rivers Cuomo, and the sinister-grunge sound that is Nirvana? You get the love child who is CIVIC TV. For his debut album, Black Moon, he wanted to create much “uglier” and “darker” melodies than what he was used to performing; through this pocket, CIVIC TV has originated a sound very unique to him, making his way to becoming a staple in the underground lo-fi pop/punk scene.
The key factor which pulled me towards the project was the cover. What looks to be a barren Mars-dessert, has a hand emerging to the surface to obtain reach of the black moon. Upon listening to the album I saw the cover for what it truly is: Reaching deep into yourself and letting the darkest elements of yourself reach the surface level to make for a better version of yourself. In retrospect, it can be viewed as him letting go of his ugly and dark past to show who he truly is through these sonically pleasing sounds.
Many of the songs follow a similar narrative throughout one’s struggle with inner conflict. Upon first listen you may think a lot of songs do sound the same but if you let the music sit and resonate with your mind you will find CIVIC TV on all levels is an amazing songwriter. The song structures and chord progressions found throughout this release take you on a musical high. To truly feel and understand the record, I believe you must know what it is like to feel lost or uncomfortable in your skin.
Songs like “prime time” give you that high school feeling. A smooth and funky record you dusted off to impress your girl. This record sounds like something you would hear when falling in love or missing the one you love, it sounds like it belongs to an 80’s indie soundtrack. As we continue, songs such as “positive affirmation”, “black moon”, and “flesh is fiction” can bring you into the deepest and loneliest parts of CIVIC TV’s mind. Channeling the late Kurt Cobain to flow unlike any rendition I’ve heard before; all pockets were hit. If you close your eyes you can hear in him the pain and struggle once carried out by Cobain himself, the resemblance is uncanny.
Along with channeling legends, CIVIC TV also brings his flavor to the record. Songs like “3-1-1” and “true defeat” show a side where he is more hopeful. You see the signs where he is hanging on through the lyrics “Let the sunset, step back from that ledge”. These songs get barer to express raw emotion and it gives CIVIC TV an edge that I hope to see more of through his growth. With his debut album, CIVIC TV created a soundtrack for those kids who don’t see tomorrow. The loners, the losers, and the burnouts. Through his music, he’s created a safe place where people like himself can be themselves and thrive. As focused as the project is and as sonically put together as a whole, CIVIC TV shows letting the dark go can shed new light on who you are at the surface.
- Cameron Kilfoy
Ronley Teper & The Lipliners
Everyone Loves A Good Story // Self Released
For nearly two decades, Ronley Teper has been a fixture in the Canadian arts scene known for multimedia genre-blending exploration. Alongside the Lipliners and a long list of collaborators, the South African multi-instrumentalist and composer explores the limit of genre-bending as she lets creativity take the wheel. Not only is the destination unclear, but it’s completely unimportant.
Those familiar with Teper’s work know that unpredictability is a fixture of her ethos. Rather than set out to achieve a certain result, Teper knows that creativity will light their path and bring them to places altogether more exciting than any intentions could muster. Follow the creativity, rather than squeezing it into a box. It’s from this foundation that a cacophony of influences are stirred into a record that goes far too many places to even begin keeping track of. If I were to mention every genre that found its way into Everyone Loves A Good Story, I’d use up my whole word count just listing influences. If her intentions weren’t clear in the music, she drives her point home at the end of the title tracks’ 3D animated music video with the prompt:
“Everything in life starts with creativity.
If you don’t know where to go, just keep going.
Eventually you’ll end up somewhere.”
To pin this record down is a futile act, but it is hardly a misguided genre salad. I was often reminded of the vocal sounds of mid-aughts Stars as a firm foundation of jazz rhythm and exploration kept the rubber on the road. A healthy portion of its sound can fit into the late 90s indie jazz sounds of TNT as chaotic moments of post punk juxtaposed the serenity of traditional folk. Truly, it’s all here – and as a whole, it becomes a glimmering example of contemporary artistic expression through music.
It’s with this in mind that the band drives onward. Whether it be through poetry, satire, theatrics, visual effects, or improvisation, every tool in the kit is used to craft one of the most whimsical, surreal, and engaging albums we’ve seen this year. It’s an approach free of inhibition that hearkens to the experimental greats like Zappa or Waits. When the fear of missteps is replaced by the freedom to wander freely, mistakes become impossible. Ronley Teper shows us that often the most important part of creating is just putting pen to paper or blowing air through your horn – creativity will take you where you need to go if you let it guide you freely. All you need to do is simply begin creating and "eventually you'll end up somewhere."
- Clay Geddert
