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• Artist: Benoît Pioulard
• Album: Temper
• Label: Kranky
• Release: 2008
• Links: Official Site, MySpace

Before I launch into my review of Benoît Pioulard’s new album Temper, I want to quickly touch on his other recent release, Songs Spun Simla. Released in August on the Music Related label, this is Pioulard’s (Tom Meluch) collaboration with Praveen Sharma. Often compared to Boards Of Canada, Praveen’s work is significantly more beat-driven in comparison to Pioulard’s. The two do share similar influences though and Praveen’s electronics come off as a logical foil to Pioulard’s more organic approach. Composed of six songs, Songs Spun Simla, much like Pioulard’s work, is a combination of instrumentals and vocal tracks. The highlight of the set is “Embers” (listen below), which features an outstanding vocal by Pioulard. As someone who was not familiar with Praveen’s music, I am curious to hear more by him. Praveen and Benoît have released one of the more memorable collaborations of the year.

The rest of this review will focus on Temper, Benoît Pioulard’s second full length album and follow-up to 2006’s highly recommended Précis. Temper aims to solidify Pioulard’s singer/songwriter skills while expanding on the hallucinatory instrumentals that were such a part of the success of Précis. Perhaps the best example of this claim is the duo of “Ahn” and “Sweep Generator.” “Ahn” soars thanks to some of Pioulard’s best finger-picking while the instrumental “Sweep Generator” is a shoegazer’s dream. Temper may be more fractured than Précis, but its sublime musicianship and diverse tones make it just as rewarding.

Pioulard’s songwriting chops have indeed taken a step forward on Temper. One listen to “Idyll,” one of his most focused compositions, confirms this. More often than not, I still can’t understand what Pioulard is singing. I love his voice and view it as an additional instrument, so I’m not bothered by this at all. I could just be mentioning this because I was so dismayed by Pitchfork nitpicking exactly that in their review of Temper. It is interesting to note that the limited edition version (sold out) of Temper comes with the lyrics for the album. They are sophisticated and provide a fascinating read, but I almost believe that the atmosphere of Pioulard’s music would be damaged if I were able to hear him clearly. Headphones are a must when listening to Pioulard to truly realize the great thought that goes into these soundscapes.

The instrumental tracks are one of my favorite things about a Benoît album. “Ardoise” is as equally hypnotic as the previously mentioned “Sweep Generator.” These instrumentals are an ideal fit for a film score, so independent directors should take note. It is no easy challenge to balance vocal and instrumental music on record and Pioulard has quickly established himself as a newcomer that manages to do so effortlessly. With Précis and Temper, Pioulard has carved a niche within the experimental community. There is no doubt that he is one of Kranky’s finest artists and for a label with that much talent, that’s saying something.

Photo by Autumn de Wilde

• Artist: Mogwai
• Album: The Hawk Is Howling
• Label: Matador
• Release: 2008
• Links: Official Site, MySpace

Given my admiration for instrumental rock, Mogwai always seemed like a band I should love. I had attempted several times to get into the lauded Young Team, but came away underwhelmed every time. When the Scotland group’s sixth album, The Hawk Is Howling, leaked online in late August, I decided to give Mogwai one more try (Dear Matador, I have since purchased a hard copy of the album) and am enormously glad I did so. This album has pushed me to explore more of their previous work and I can report that it represents a more complete statement than 2006’s Mr. Beast. Hawk has the metallic bite of Mogwai’s fiercest compositions and the subtle moments that have made them one of their genre’s frontrunners.

Hawk begins with the aggressive pairing of “I’m Jim Morrison, I’m Dead” and “Batcat,” one of the year’s best singles. The former begins softly and builds to a pleasantly ear-swelling drone while “Batcat” is pure anger. The album’s middle portion remains strong, but is admittedly less exciting than the sections it is bookended by. Softer tracks such as “Local Authority” bring a necessary balance to the album though. “The Sun Smells Too Loud” is another exceptional track, thanks to its catchy riff and electronic flourishes. It is not surprising that Mogwai are featured in so many television shows and films when taking into account the variety of atmospheres they are able to sculpt.

If you hadn’t noticed, Mogwai have a twisted sense of humor that is frequently represented in their song titles, so I’m going to assume that their longtime fans weren’t surprised in the least when they learned of the tracklisting for Hawk. Three of the album’s final four songs continue the brutal nature of its first act. “I Love You, I’m Going To Blow Up Your School” (Twisted, no?) and “Scotland’s Shame” are beautiful and menacing. Just listen to the trademark Mogwai explosion in “I Love You” and the introduction to “Scotland’s Shame” for proof. It wouldn’t be right if Hawk didn’t cap itself off by damaging your hearing and “The Precipice” will certainly try to. It is as if half of this record intends to blow out your car stereo while the other half was written as a headphone lullaby. On Hawk, Mogwai master this balancing act more successfully than they have on most of their albums and that it is why it is easily one of their most rewarding works.

Photo by Wendy Lynch

It is no secret that Mark Kozelek loves performing covers. On December 9th, Kozelek’s Caldo Verde label will release The Finally LP, a ten song CD that compiles an array of (mostly) covers that date from 2001 - 2008. The CD contains tribute compilation appearances, radio cuts, a children’s lullaby, and two original original Kozelek instrumentals. The two instrumentals (”Piano Song” and “Gaping Mouth”) are previously unreleased, as is Kozelek’s cover of Hüsker Dü’s “Celebrated Summer” from an unspecified radio appearance in 2003. Caldo Verde will also offer a digital download on their site and are currently offering a free stream of “Celebrated Summer.”

The Finally LP
1. Piano Song (Mark Kozelek)*
2. Finally (Kath Bloom)
3. New Partner (Will Oldham)
4. Send In The Clowns (Stephen Sondheim)
5. Lazy (Low)
6. Bedtime Lullaby (Jarond Gibbs)
7. Celebrated Summer (Hüsker Dü)*
8. My Friend Bob (Dom Leone)
9. If You Want Blood (AC/DC)
10. Gaping Mouth (Mark Kozelek)*

* = Unreleased

Kozelek has several upcoming tour dates planned, including a November 7th stop at Attucks Theatre in Norfolk, VA and a November 10th date at D.C.’s Rock And Roll Hotel.

Tour
11/7/08 - Norfolk, VA - Attucks Theatre
11/8/08 - Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle
11/10/08 - Washington, DC - Rock And Roll Hotel
11/12/08 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Neil Halstead
11/15/08 - Orlando, FL - Gibson Showroom

Full credits for The Finally LP appear after the jump courtesy of Robert Vickers…

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