Review: Cascadeur: Ghost Surfer

Cascadeur is one of France's most distinctive vocalists, his 2011 debut firmly establishing him as one of the
country's most promising artists.

His follow up - Ghost Surfer - released this month up secures that reputation. His voice both affecting and powerful,  standing comparison to the likes of Anthony Heggarty, Neil Young or Robert Wyatt.

The album was preceded by the single Ghost Surfer, a song I felt initially a bit disappointed by. I liked it, but didn't love it. But given time the song gradually crept in and took up residence.

The album is an assured work, by an artist confident about his vision and certain about how to realise it. His voice rightly takes centre stage, even amidst lush arrangements, whether in French or English and even in wordless tracks like Dark Passenger.

For all he wears his helmet or Mexican mask concealing his face, Alexandre Longo lets his voice reveal more about his personality. Emotional but also playful as well, sensitive but also powerful.

There's art and beauty here, but he never lets that get in the way of a good pop song.

Appearances by Stuart A Staples from The Tindersticks on The Crossing and French veteran Christophe on Collector add elements to the picture, but don't distract from the overall work

Looking here for something that matches the immediate jaw-dropping wonder that was Walker off his debut? Report to The Crossing immediately.  And beyond that, there is much to listen to repeatedly and enjoy for the long term.

Ghost Surfer looks like it will be one of 2014's key releases.

Cascadeur feat Stuart A. Staples and Médéric Collignon: The Crossing

A preview new video for a track entitled The Crossing by Cascadeur, featuring additional vocals by Stuart

A. Staples and Médéric Collignon.

Collignon is a jazz vocalist, and Staples is the singer with Tindersticks.

Staples, very much a faviourite of this blog for many years,  has worked with French film director Claire Denis, on the film sL'Intrus and White Material, while Tindersticks recorded the music for Nénette at Boni, 35 Rhums and Trouble every Day.

It's an epic sounding song, and follows the release of the song Ghost Surfer earlier this year. The last Cascadeur release was his  The Human Octopus album in 2011

From a brief snippet of this track, and the previous track Ghost Surfer, the new EP sounds like it will be somthing quite special.

Cascadeur's Ghost Surfer EP is available to download from September 23.

Cascadeur plays in Paris on September 24,  and again on October 3, and is touring extensively in France over the remaining months of 2013.

New: Tindersticks - Claire Denis Soundtracks 1996 - 2009

I watched the Claire Denis film Vendredi Soir (Friday Night) at the weekend, and thought it worth a mention of her regular collaborations with UK band Tindersticks, especially considering the imminent release of a box-set of the music used in their collaborations.

Their work together began with the 1996 film Nenette et Boni, and continued with Trouble Every Day (2001), 35 Rhums (2008) and White Material (2009), as well as Vendredi Soir (2002), the soundtrack to which was by Tindersticks Dickon Hinchcliffe and L'Intrus (2004) by the band's Stuart Staples.

The band make a late-night lushly orchestral sound, shout through with elements of jazz and soul. They have made eight full studio albums so far, as well as soundtracks and live releases. That they are not wider known is little short of a major injustice, although the use of one of their songs (Tiny Tears) in the soundtrack for The Sopranos did give them some well-deserved publicity.

The band have long been favourites of mine, and a 5CD/5LP box set of their Claire Denis soundtrack's is to be released on April 26 by Constellation records. The label has put a sample of songs on their website here >

According to Stuart Staples, the band began working with her at around the time she was writing the screenplay for Nenette and Boni, when they met at one of the band's gigs in Paris and she described what an impression their song My Sister made on her.

The band are promoting the release with some cinema-related shows, playing the Istanbul International Film festival on April 11, and playing at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall on April 26 and 27, with a screening of Nenette et Boni and a discussion with Denis and singer Stuart Staples talking about their collaborations.

The band also appear in Los Angeles on April 30 and at the San Francisco Film festival on May 2, and Sweden's MADE film festival on May 13