Unlike new shit from Sufjan Stevens, Vetiver, and Mountain Goats, Benoit Pioulard isn’t fucking around with a new direction in being a sweetheart singer-songwriter. Think about this advancement in comparison to the instrumental accompaniment opposed to the vocal content; the vocal content is practically matched to the first three musical practitioners mentioned, yet the way Benoit frames his presents as narrator in “A Shade of Celadon” with a hue of green. Green? –Err, celadon, yes. Or maybe less of a green, but a specific gentleness. Not that this gentleness isn’t coarse as well, but when paired together, they blend as only some other liquids do with oil. A lightly strummed and (more-so) echoed-out guitar breathes the same air as a scratchy drone. A funk of a bass line that swells this shared air as it pounds throughout. No drums, but a rhythm well planned between the bass line and Benoit’s soft voice. An atmosphere only in a shade. A shade of restless delight. A shade under symbols ringing out. “A Shade of Celadon,” streaming below:
• Benoit Pioulard: http://pioulard.com
• Kranky Records: http://www.kranky.net
More about: Benoit Pioulard
