A lot to love in Jorane's 'L'instant aimé'

Album artwork for Jorane's L'instant aimé (Source: Amazon.com)

I fell in love with Jorane's music around October last year. She performs in an invented language in a way that makes her work universally accessible, unrestricted by lyrics since the voice is de-emphasised as the primary way of communicating the message of the song. Instead, she allows her compositions – melody, mood and instrumentation – to allow people to come to their own interpratations of the music. While in recent years she has focused on performing in French (Vers à soi and Une Sorcière Comme Les Autres), her music is still enjoyable for her hybrid music style of french chanteuse and unusual instrumentation. L'instant aimé is the sixth full-length album from Jorane. While it features pieces in her invented language, the album performed mostly in French lyrics. While the album itself occasionally borders on wearisome with a group of mellow and low-key songs, there is also a lot to love with several amazing standout songs.

The issue I have with the album is the same issue I had with Une Sorcière Comme Les Autres; many of the songs are so similar in structure and instrumentation that they seem to merge into each other and it's difficult to distinguish them apart after repeated listenings - they focus on mood and lyrics rather than interesting technique and memorable melodies. While pieces like 'J'ai demande a la lune', 'Allegeance', 'L'instant aime', and 'Bouteille a la mer' are all pleasant and mellow pieces, as someone who doesn't understand French it feels like there isn't enough variation between them isn't enough to distinguish them.

Many songs on the album showcase Jorane's
flawless vocals and eclectic
musical style (Source: Spectra News)

With that out of the way, of course there are the fantastic moments - the adorable and bright 'Bouquet au coeur' opens the album with great élan, and the jaunty Irish rifts of 'Farfadet' and the disarmingly charming randomness of 'Ma chambre' showcase Jorane's flawless vocals and eclectic music style. As expected, the highlight of the album is the latest instalment of the Film series, 'Film V'. Across her extensive career Jorane has composed four movements including the title 'Film', and L'Instant Aime includes the fifth. 'Film V' is the longest of the five movements, showing the fantastic sparkle that distinguishes Jorane as she showcases her talent at creating art which is evocatic in being simultaneously stirring, powerful but also wistful.

I guess what I'm irrationally disappointed at is the arrangement of the songs on this album in comparison to how they are performed live. In June, Jorane performed at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal 2012 accompanied by the I Musici orchestra. This highlights video shows her screaming like a maniac, exuding electric energy with some of the most gorgeous arrangements of her pieces I have ever heard. While I do like this album, in comparison to live executions these renditions seem very restrained and sort of dulled - I hope that eventually there is a collaboration between the two again which is recorded.

I do enjoy L'instant aimé, however not as much as I was hoping due to the similarities shared between many of the tracks halting immersion into the material. Although it's not going to win Jorane any new fans or attention, this is a solid album with a lot to love - 'Bouquet au coeur' and 'Film V' have been on non-stop repeat since I got the album, and many of the tracks are a delight to listen to. I hope Jorane makes many, many more albums, and I hope she eventually tours Australia - I'll be there to watch that talent no matter what she plays!

Jorane's 'L'instant aimé' is available worldwide November 12th, available digitally online and from Amazon.ca. Available on physical CD and digital download. Preview the album for free on Jorane's official website. 

*This review is of the Canadian physical release of L'instant aimé. Digital versions include two bonus tracks, 'Pendant que les champs brûlent' from Une Sorcière Comme Les Autres, and an accoustic rendition of 'Monsieur Piment' featuring the Montréal Guitar Trio.

Amaluna Soundtrack by Cirque du Soleil - Chaotic Mess [*]

Album artwork of Amaluna (Source: Amazon.com).

I can't remember how many times I've said "The new Cirque du Soleil CD has been released", but given the frequency of the phrase in comparison to how much I say it for every other artist I follow, I don't think it's a good thing. Claiming to "surprise by means of the unexpected" (an egregious oxymoron if there ever was one), Amaluna is a bizarre offering from the company. Under the marketing gimmick of having the whole album performed by women, it contains music from the show from composers Bob & Bill (Guy Dubec and Marc Lessard) with new and inane lyrics, pedestrian mixing, and about a dozen compositions which are not particularly strong.

The album prides itself that it is influenced from heavy rock and that the score is played by a "vivacious all-girl band". Newsflash to everyone working in the marketing team - just because the band is comprised entirely of females doesn't mean that by the music is by default innovative or high quality. The vocalists on the CD featured on the CD are also women, and quite talented - Julie Andrea McInnes's sultry alto tone is a strong contrast to Marie-Michelle Faber's airy and lithe timbre, and they breeze through the little material they receive with great skill. The most prominent vocalist on the album is Jennifer Aubury who has a colourful and clear-cut voice - while it's nothing unique, her vocal performance is strong and she delivers her material perfectly adequately. In terms of the band, their performances are fine but there's not much room for improvisation or any specific showcasing of talent.

Despite any issues with the arrangement. 'All Come Together' ('Magic Ceremony 1' from Le Best of 2) is the flagship of the album, a dreamy piece which enforces the same melody over and over again for about 5 minutes (which concludes with a spectacularly superfluous up-tempo verse tacked on the end which no-one really needed to hear or cares about). 'Hope' is a melancholic and ethereal piece which descends into a strong, pulsating rock segment, although it feels like it finishes far too soon just when it's gaining momentum. The best track on the album is 'O Ma Ley'. It's a delight, being a playful and bright number focusing on percussive and electronic beats which is really catchy, actually having a bridge that doesn't depart from the style of the song, and has a complex time meter that I can't pick out. I also love the little piano ditty 'secret track' which plays at the end of 'Run'.

The trend of Cirque CDs lately have been to have a few good songs while the rest just die of their own irrelevance, so of course the usual filter rubbish is here. 'Fly Around' and 'Tempest' are a mélange of noisy drums, cello and twangy guitar, and 'Burn Me Up' is a generic angsty pop song, but then spits out this hilariously inappropriate jazz woodwind section. 'Mutations' features some skittering rhythms, every panning gimmick you can think of, and some schitzophrenic breathing (at one point someone actually moans "OUCH!" - I screamed in the middle of the computer labs). Other tracks really suffer because they don't seem to be confined to a specific genre, like 'Running on the Edge', 'Ena Fee Alyne' and 'Enchanted Runion' which amble around with a chaotic array of instruments, tempo and style, although despite this the entire score doesn't seem to have enough variation and distinction of sound.

The production quality of this album is pretty lousy. It's not mixed particularly well - while it's an electronic album the techniques such panning, reverb, and distortion are naturally in use, but are so frequently utilised it borders on the excessive. Despite claiming otherwise, the mixing doesn't resemble a heavy rock album because it's so dull. The drums are not prominent enough and the quality of the album is too polished, which removes the raw and powerful details that make other artists so invigorating. The compositions themselves are quite mediocre in that they seem to focus entirely on one melody and keep layering it without moving to a bridge, and for what is there the arrangement of the pieces sometimes leave a lot to be desired.

There are some amateur conclusions to pieces, a lot of focusing on build ups which lead to nothing while other verses feeling as though they need extending to develop movement. There are so many bizarre moments, like McInnes muttering "SI!" at the beginning of verses in 'Run'. There's also a few weird production screw ups (like someone left their mic on at the end of O Mi Lay and you can hear the drummer fixing their sticks). To me, the weirdest element of this album is the lyrics. In the production, the lyrics are all performed in the imaginary Cirquish language. On this album, they're performed with (very clichéd and contrived) English lyrics - if this was what the composers originally wanted, why not perform the show's songs in English and then create the album in English, or vis-versa? The lyrics themselves are mundane and seem tacky since the rhymes are too convenient (one example, "I'm not a liar - I want the fire" or something like that).

The album is better that some of Cirque's recent offerings, but it is the weakest score that Bob & Bill have composed for Cirque du Soleil, and that's disappointing since Totem was a promising beginning and Les Chemins Invisbles had some excellent pieces. Despite its few strong moments, Amaluna is a short fall from the "guitar-oriented electronic anthem" style it claimed to create. It's a chaotic mess, a pedestrian production of a very mediocre score.

Cirque du Soleil 'Amaluna' is available November 19th from their online boutqiue and on Amazon.com. Available on physical CD and digital download. Preview the entire album for free on Cirque du Soleil's Amaluna official website.

My Love Letter to 'A Tribute of Sorts'

"Ivan and Juniper have a peculiar task. Over the course of one night, they must reenact a list of alphabetically ordered, but altogether unfortunate events. With lo-fi charm and eisteddfod zest, each incident is luridly reimagined, becoming more outrageous and elaborate as the night progresses."

Edward Gorey noted that "Ideally, if anything was any good, it would be indescribable". That quote is perfect when applied to Monsters Appear's current production at La Boite Indie. I remember that when I saw and reviewed the prelude to A Tribute of Sorts at World Theatre Festival earlier this year (titled A Spectacular of Sorts), I laughed so much at what was happening on stage that I started laughing at how much I was laughing, and in turn the entire audience started laughing along. I marked it as one of the highlights of the festival, and I recommended that everyone make the effort to see the show in its next incarnation at La Boite Indie. I didn't think that a few months later I would be involved in working on the same show as a stage hand.

After working with him on another show for university, Ben (the writer and director), invited Jordan, Tom and me to coffee to invite us to work on the show. It was prefaced that this wasn't going to be a paid job and it was going to be a lot of work, but we were immediately absolutely committed to the project since we knew it would be a great and valuable learning experience, and that it would be a lot of fun.

Turns out it was exactly what we though it would be. The narrative revolves around cousins Ivan and Juniper Plank, who take it upon themselves to coordinate a grim but hilariously inappropriate homage to children who find death "a little too quickly". Ben's vision, which was devised collaboratively with the stunningly talented and attractive actors Dash Kruck and Emily Curtin, is utterly charming, with an achingly funny script, superb acting skills and an irresistibly odd concept.

It has been an exhausting few weeks for all involved - for Jordan, Tom and I it's been insane. As ASMs we have to move sets in and out as quickly and quietly as possible, ensuring that the audience don't notice anything going on backstage. There are dozens of props, several of which don't make it out every night since I usually screw up something, numerous costume changes and countless curtain pulls. It's been stressful (we didn't even manage to have a full dress run before our preview), but it's now clicked and we're totally capable and able to manage the show. We're overseeen by Tenneale, a total daemon bitch who is just awesome - she coordinates the entire show, making sure we know what we're doing and keeping us quiet while simultaneously feeding us with candy and love. She resonates power. The rest of the creative team - including Jason, Whitney, Ashleigh, Lucas, and Jeff - were awesome and so slick at what they do. Everything just seemed to work so smoothly.

The show is insanely funny, and it has been overwhelming to hear how much people have enjoyed it. There have been so many great reviews, the show has been pretty much consistently sold-out, and people have said that they have adored it. I'm really proud to have had some involvement in the show, and I'm so glad for Ben, Dash and Emily that their creation has been so popular and so enthusiastically received. They're such generous and gorgeous people, and I really hope I get to work with them all again to some extent one day. Their talent and creativity is makes me want to cower into a ball and panic that I'll never be able to create something that has so much heart and soul while being simultaneously entertaining!

I've loved the process and feel lucky I've been a part of it. Thank you to everyone who attended, to everyone who bought a ticket, and to everyone who helped to bring this piece to life. The final two performances are sold out, although at the rate people have enjoyed it, I'm sure it'll be back at some stage.

Tickets for Monster Appear's A Tribute of Sorts are $18-$28, and is showing at La Boite Theatre Company from October 25th until November 10th. Duration of approximately 70 minutes.

The 'Best' of Cirque du Soleil. Again.

The artwork for 'Le Best of 2' (Source: Amazon.com).

I was starting to become stressed at the prospect that Cirque du Soleil hadn't made enough money this week, when I luckily noticed that they'd launched a streaming for their latest CD release, Le Best of 2. It comes across as pretentious that it's called 'Le Best of' instead of 'The Best of' - because the French never call compilation albums 'Le Best'. I suppose this just means that Cirque are just as clueless as I am in that they're not sure what audience to aim this release at. But it's apparent Cirque assumes without their European mystique they are dead to the eyes of America, who enjoy a splash of French in order to claim they're a little bit fancy.

As for the content of the disk, who the fuck picks the list of songs to be compiled? Despite being self labeled as a "long-awaited collection of favorites" crafted to also appeal as "an opportunity for everyone to experience some of Cirque’s finest music", on a whole there is no way I'd recommend this to anyone for a sampler of the Cirque du Soleil music catalog. There seems to be no unifying theme or particular reason why any of the songs on this release have been picked.

This collection aims to show the best pieces from each show, but while drafting a list of potential songs to include it seems that the company forgot some shows existed. There isn't a musical selection from Delirium (a show that was advertised as a "LIVE CIRQUE MUSIC CONCERT!!!"), there's no reference to Zarkana (not even that dreadful 'Whereever' song), and somewhat more predictably there isn't anything from Viva Elvis or Love. Also, this is the first collection of songs where 'Alegría' didn't make an appearance. Scandalous.

Below is a list of the songs included, with the hilarious track listing taken from the schizophrenic article from their online boutique. I've included some thoughts on why I think the songs have/shouldn't have been picked, and then there is also a list of what would have been more appropriate for the title of 'best of'.

1 MAGIC CEREMONY I (Amaluna™)

After all that fuss to make the title of the CD sound exotic and ethereal, I guess the marketing department ran out of steam and just had to call this one 'Magic Ceremony 1'. This one is included as a sneak-peek to the upcoming album 'Amaluna' which will launch November 19th. It's the logical choice, since if the show's website is anything to go by, apparently it's the only song in the show.

The piece itself features all three of the shows singers and is literally the same 8 chords and the same melody for 3 minutes and 28 seconds. Guaranteed to be stuck in your head, but the simplicity of the composition is pretty boring and it veers a little to being embarrassing.

What should have been included:

n/a

2 pearl 4:06 (Kooza™)

If I was asked to name some of the better tracks on Kooza, 'Pearl' would be one of my answers (by default, as most of Kooza's song suck anyway). It's a beautifully mixed and performed piece, despite the fact that most of the instruments (and lyrics) included on the track don't even feature in the live performance. Major factors that detract from the choice is that the piece in no form represents Kooza's funk, jazz or Bollywood influences, and it doesn't include any vocals from the other original Cirque singer Tara Baswani.

What should have been included:

The highlight of the Kooza album is the 'Kooza Dance'. It's a very flamboyant and flashy big-band number which features one of Cirque's sweetest jazz moments. Since it does only feature one singer, I'd also put down 'L'Innocent' as another choice as it includes both the principal singers, and is the most prevalent motif in the entire score. 'Alambre Alto' would have also been a good choice as it features both original singers and is totally the most diverse track on the album.

3 blue silk 4:37 (ZED™)

'Blue Silk' is a cute choice but it's hardly the definitive piece in Zed's score. Ironically, whenever I burnt the Zed album for friends they always commented that they loved this song, and like all songs on the album it's awesome. But . . . 

What should have been included:

. . . 'Hymn of the New World' would have been a better choice to include. It features all the musicians from the show, the singers, in addition to a 70 piece symphonic orchestra, and a choir comprised of the FACE Children's Choir and a chorus of choral singers. It's an exquisite piece that correlates to one of the most incredible theatrical scenes I've seen in my life and in terms of songs in Cirque's catalog rivals some of the company's considered 'classics', including 'Alegría'. Pity.

4 anneaux 5:43 (Corteo™)

Most of Corteo's intimate and lively score undertook a strange transformation when being transferred to record. It lost a lot of fidelity (in addition to the entire band) when it was mixed as a studio album and the whole thing sounds kind of dead. I've always hated the song 'Anneaux' since it's so tedious and percussive, and it's not really very reflective of Corteo's charming European inspired score. It appears in a lot of promo videos, and will probably make another appearance if Cirque releases another album of remixes.

What should have been included:

'Volo Volando' seems to be the theme song of the show, but it appeared on 25, so if I was a conscious producer who didn't want to annoy fans, I wouldn't include identical songs on succeeding compilations.  'Ritonare' would have been a good choice since it's very similar to the show, goes through a bunch of different moods, and prominently features vocals of Paul Bisson (the only musician on the album who was also in the show).

5 Flying Scarlett 4:43 (Iris, A Journey Through the World of Cinema™)

I adore this piece and I'm very glad of its inclusion. From my review of Iris last year:

"The most coruscating moment on the album is the exquisite and flawless 'The Broom/Flying Scarlett' arrangement. Beginning with a reprise of the opening tune shared delicately between woodwinds and a solo violin, strings flourish softly behind to make a piece that is utterly stunning. It provokes this incredible but practically indescribable emotion that resembles something like yearning. It's an ephemeral and achingly beautiful piano waltz paired with this forlorn, angelic voice which fragments and harmonies itself, and slowly layers with chimes and glockenspiels which leads into the striking, driving and powerful orchestra accompaniment. The arrangement is sweeping. I'm listening to this right now and I am covered in goosebumps - it's just so good."

The version on this album simply starts with the piano chords, and removes the note that leads into the piece from 'The Broom'.

What should have been included:

n/a

6 qué viyéRa 4:42 (TOTEM™)

'Qué Viyéra' is a good choice as it's actually a favourite between fans. For some reason, Totem is the only show that is represented twice on this album, and to be honest it's inclusion is a bit of a waste of space considering that several shows were glazed over when this compilation was created.

What should have been included:

Anything from Delirium, a song from Zarkana, anything from Viva Elvis. Regarding the tradition of including incarnations of 'Alegría' on all their compilations - if they were smart they could have picked 'La Nova Alegría' from Delirium. Shaaaaaame.

7 flying with the birds 4:12 (CRISS ANGEL™ Believe™)

I feel like the only reason this was included was because it's the track that features Nitza's voice the most - she makes an appearance on a few tracks of the album but is totally under-utilised. 

What should have been included:

The obvious choice would have been the original piece that was synonymous with the show, 'Homage to the Rabbits'. It's an eerie instrumental piece which evolves into a powerful industrial rock symphony which is awesome. The second half of 'Kayla and the Poppies' is another symphonic piece which is incredibly forlorn and romantic, and featuring the gorgeous vocals of Inva Mula could have showcased the company's expansion into operatic styles. My favourite piece on the album 'The Magic Wedding', another awesome orchestral track, would have also been a smart pick since it combines the two major motifs of the show. But whatever, I guess having a vocalist holler like a moo-cow is more important than such trivialities. 

8 NOI 4:15 (zaia™)

A surprisingly good and logical choice. This quirky waltz, which opens the Zaia album, is the finale of the show. It features the two original singers of Zaia in addition to a mini choir which features all the vocal personell of the CD including the composer and their vocal coach. The ensemble work on this track really makes it seem like everyone who worked on the CD is represented in another form, so excellent choice.

For anyone keeping track at home, this version of the song omits the original introduction of the piece with vocals from Onofrio Colucci.

What should have been included:

n/a

9 secret samba luv 3:12 (OVO™)

God. After all the 'dodecaphonically-melodic set of 'resonance-rhythms'" that Berna Ceppas claims to have created in the bold music voyage that is Ovo, it's a laughingly stupid choice to include this elevator music. Embarassing also that the company is endorsing incorrect spelling of 'love'. 

What should have been included:

'Banquette', obviously. It may have lyrics that resemble the prowess of The Backstreet Boys, but it's an absolutely catchy piece and I still find it endearing. It was included on the 25 album, so being a conscientious music compiler who wouldn't want to piss of fans, I'd also suggest 'Ants'. 

10 pagean t 2:46 (KÀ™)

'Pageant' was destined to be on a 'Best of' compilation since it was first released at KÁ's press conference in 2004. The explosive ethic tune doesn't feature any of the hard working band or singers in the show, but it is one of Dupéré's shining compositions, written in a complex time signature and combining an eclectic array of instruments and cultural influences to be an iconic Cirque du Soleil piece.

This was also included as it won Cirque's Facebook fan poll of what the favourite song is. Clearly it would have been included anyway (as were 2 other options on the poll - 'Omé Yo Kanubé' and 'Pearl), it was nice that Cirque at least considered what the fans would have liked to have seen and given us hope that we were still considered in pointless releases like this CD.

What should have been included:

n/a

11 beyon d the clo uds 3:32 (Wintuk™)

I don't know why anyone even bothered to consider this show, since it became apparent that Cirque pretty much pretended this show and its music didn't exist for awhile. The singer and musicians were never featured in the show and the track was hugely different to anything in the live show. The asinine lyrics from Jim fucking Corcoran do really little to inspire anything in what is a generic mélange of mediocrity and inaneness.

What should have been included:

'Nothing's Missing' is the most competent song on the album, and while it's still a generic and innocuous ballad it's simplistic and hasn't been featured on anything unlike 'Beyond the Clouds'. 'Dolce Luce', which is Simon Carpentier's best non-plagurised song, is a beautiful small piano tune, but I guess you can't include 1 minute 30 second songs on compilations.

12 piece of heaven 4:55 (Zumanity™)

Why the fuck does this stupid song keep appearing on compilation albums? Like 'Beyond the Bullshit' above, it was also featured on the 'Poetique' CD in 25, and I didn't understand it's inclusion then either. It's just such a pedestrian piece, not particularly romantic or impressive, and certainly not representative of the Zumanity score. lol. Whatever that means.

What I am always amused at though, is the inclusion of the buzzing effect at the end of the track. Someone really fucked up in the mixing and must have left it on the master file - on the album it's used as a transition into (and repeats throughout) the piece 'Zum Astra'. It's actually a very cool Middle Eastern instrumental piece, but it's inclusion on this tacky 80's ballad track, like so many screw ups in the mixing on this CD, is so embarrassingly amateur.

What should have been included:

As with 25, the track that should have been included (and shares the closest resemblance to anthing in the score from the show) is 'Mio Bello Bello Amore'. Alternatively, including 'Bello Amore' would  have been a smarter choice as it includes the rancid vocals from Ginette Reno, who is a big name in Canada and would have just made a much smarter marketing choice.

13 omé yo kano ubé 4:41 (TOTEM) 

Well, here we are again with another Totem (Totem isn't copyrighted this time!) track. This is the song that should represent the Totem album - it's a cheerful and uplifting track which sounds as if it was lifted live from the Big Top. It's led by the show's two singers in addition to them being backed by a small choir, and features a lot of solos from the original Totem band and is a great representation of the score. Really leaves you with a smile on your face and is a delightful selection.

What should have been included:

n/a 
 

Outroduction

While Cirque have done several compilations (including Collection during the company's 10th Anniversary, and 25 to celebrate the 25th (obviously)), it's probably worth noting that the first 'Le Best of Cirque du Soleil' was released in 2004, to coincide with the 20th anniversary of Cirque du Soleil's founding and also as a launch product for the company's new label, Cirque Musique. I don't see any reason why Cirque have released a follow up just over 8 years later - there's only around 55 minutes of music on this album, and it's not like it's particularly commemorative of anything - except drawing attention to the fact that it took 20 years to create 12 shows, then only took them 8 years to smash out another 17.

This collection just comes across as another grab for money. The compilation isn't well thought through and many of the choices are nonsensical. I don't know how long the company had been planning this release, but considering what they came up with, I'm going to guess something like 3 months. Not a collection I would recommend, and I hope this trend of releasing compilations will soon die of its own irrelevance.

Cirque du Soleil 'Le Best of 2' is available November 9th from their online boutqiue and on Amazon.com. Available on physical CD and digital download. Preview the entire album for free at Cirque du Soleil's promotional website.

Victoria Opera does 'Sunday in the Park With George'

I think if I see this in person I'll cry.