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March music reviews
Checking out the hottest sounds in music this month.
By Larissa Primeau
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Pascale Picard, Zone 3*DEP/Universal
There appears to be an amazing surge of Canadian music happening as of late; Feist, Joel Plaskett, Chromeo and others are proving to the world that Canadian talent should not be overlooked. Pascale Picard is yet another talented Canuck musician making waves in the international music community as well as at home. She's been nominated for the "Artist of the Year" Juno at this year's awards and already has legions of fans in her native Quebec. Although her debut album Me Myself and Us was released in April of last year, I only recently discovered it and I feel obliged to inform the good readership of this quality music (thank you Mademoiselle Picard, you make my job here easy). "Gate 22" is the single that has got the buzz going and it's definitely worthy of such attention. The music is best described as folk pop but Pascale Picard is capable of rocking out on the occasional track.
"Annoying" is reminiscent of a young Alanis Morisette with bitter lyrics and a few strategically placed f-bombs. Personally my favorite track is the first one on the album called "Thinking of it". This song showcases the multifaceted talents of Picard, bringing together her emotive songwriting, her vocal range and her ability as a guitar player. As songwriter and singer, Pascale Picard is undoubtedly destined for big things in the future and as Canadians, we have yet another reason to brag about our homegrown talent.
YOAV, Universal Music
It's been a bit of an estrogen overload so far in this month's music reviews so I thought I'd better include a new comer who is nothing but man. First of all ladies, this London-based hottie is very easy on the eyes; stick him on the guitar and in front of a mic, and I guarantee you'll be in lust...er I mean love (no I didn't). Don't get me wrong, his debut album Charmed and Strange proves that Yoav is far more than a pretty face. If you're in need of a comparison to imagine the sound, think of a less whiny David Usher with Dave Matthews guitar skills and a bit of Jeff Buckley thrown in for good measure. The South African native describes his music as "left-of-centre pop music" and he's hit the nail on the head. Armed with a guitar, simple effects and an incredible amount of vocal talent, Yoav's debut album is nothing if not easy to like. You'll love "Club Thing" for its toe-tapping tune and sarcastic lyrics, you'll want to learn "Beautiful Lie" on your guitar to impress your friends around the campfire and you'll put his cover of the Pixies' "Where is my Mind" on repeat just because it's awesome. This is an excellent debut album no doubt, and if Yoav is as diversely talented as we are led to believe, we can expect a lot more great music from him in the future.
Stumbled upon...
This month I want to introduce you to Kristoffer Ragnstam, a Swedish musician who I think is worth having a listen to. Check out his myspace page and let me know what you think!
Let me know what you think! E-mail me at larissa@ellecanada.com.
Image of Pascale Picard courtesy of www.umusic.ca.
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Read more:
Style secrets from the experts
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March movie madness
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