Laurent Bourque - What We Talk About

So I've been sitting on Laurent Bourque's impressive debut CD for a few months now, trying to come up with the right way to describe it without making it sound like it's a bit on the dull side. You could slide it into the singer/songwriter genre, but that makes it sound boring. You could say it's a rock album, but that conjures up images of bar bands and classic rock, and that's not doing it justice either. And it's certainly hooky enough to be called a pop album, but the sounds are a tad too organic for it to be lumped in with a genre that is usually synonymous with overproduction. However, upon repeat listenings it's become obvious to me that to avoid certain tags would be equally unjust, as this Montreal (by way of Ottawa) musician incorporated all of these styles into his work in a way that is affective and enjoyable. In much the same way that a slew of overused ingredients can still mix together to create a pretty impressive omelet, Bourque has discovered a way to create a listening experience that may not be altogether new, but is rather inspiring nevertheless.

The mellower moments are handled by tracks like At Your Door and Calm Down, which both feature some beautiful harmonies and distinguished vocals that are hushed and effectively understated. The rock quotient is filled by songs like Always Alright which is a head bobbing rocker that enlists vocal and lap steel help from Amos The Transparent's Daniel Hay and Jonathan Chandler, as well as some inspired vocals by Zoe Speed. And finally there's some catchy pop music found in the likes of All You Beautiful Girls and Fall In And Out, as well as a notably Cure-ish guitar vibe in Coming Up For Air. The album ends with what is probably my favourite track, a song called Living In a Movie that makes good use of moderate production and some atmospheric instrumentation to create an ending that lingers on long after the album is finished.

What We Talk About is a reminder that oftentimes the genres and styles that we think we have grown weary of are usually the fault of the artists using them, and not of the genres themselves. Laurent Bourque has used these styles to create a collection of music that is endearing upon first listen, and continues to captivate more fully with each subsequent play.

Myspace: Laurent Bourque
Video: All You Beautiful Girls (live @ Canteen) on vimeo

Other stuff:

There's a lot of buzz surrounding local band Sandman Viper Command and I've just started listening to their latest release entitled Everybody See This the other morning and it's pretty dang good. You've got a few opportunities to see them this month during their free Tuesday night residency at C'est What. They play tomorrow night, Feb. 9th with The Darcy's, next week Feb 16th with Clothes Make The Man and Feb. 23rd with some "special guests". It's a good opportunity to see what everyone is talking about. They've also been interviewed at Blare Magazine. [Myspace: Sandman Viper Command]

In the late 90's, while everybody else was getting depressed, I was listening to a lot sunshiny happytime pop music, and one of the bands that made me smile was California's The Orange Peels. Well, after spending some time away from them, they released a peppy little album at the tail end of last year called 2020. To prove that they're still riding the wave of creativity, they've just released a new single called The Real You, which you can download here. They do know how to do upbeat, that's for sure! [Myspace: The Orange Peels]

For those of you that have missed out on grabbing some tickets to see The National at Massey Hall on Tuesday June 8th, it looks like they've added a second show for Wednesday June 9th. Tickets range from $32.50 to $52.50 and go on sale on Friday. [Myspace: The National]

Peter Gabriel finally has a new album coming out here in Canada on Feb. 15th entitled Scratch My Back. It's rare that I'd get excited about a covers album, but I have an almost unnatural obsession with PG, and his choice of covers has me more than a little bit curious also. He covers the likes of Magnetic Fields, David Bowie, Arcade Fire, Regina Spektor and Radiohead, and he's offering his cover of Bon Iver's Flume for free on his website. (It does require you to enter your email) [Myspace: Peter Gabriel]