Land of Talk - Cloak and Cipher - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Having supported the Decemberists, Tapes N Tapes and Broken Social Scene, Montreal based LAND OF TALK are back with their glorious brand of Canadian Indie Pop. ELIZABETH POWELL'S vocals, honeyed and broken, recall Chan Marshall's warm disquiet and Julana Hatfield's bright. After more than two years of touring for their debut , and having gained and lost a few members, Land of Talk retired to their hometown of Montreal to roll tape on a batch of new songs. Clarity. Singer/songwriter/guitarist Elizabeth Powell set about making an album that could encompass a great deal with very little, an aesthetic in stark contrast to the orchestral pop and digi-tweaked indie chic. With bassist Chris McCarron and drummer Andrew Barr (The Slip), the band set up in an old converted church outside of Montreal and recorded 9 songs with the helping hands of Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) on the boards. The tenth and final track InchTroubledInch was recorded in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, at Vernon's parents' home.

Roche,Jean Claude / Chevereau,Jerome - Birds of Northwest Africa [COMPACT DISCS] date 05/05/2017

Lizzie Powell has always been a risk-taker. As the creative force behind the influential Canadian outfit Land of Talk, the Montreal-based songwriter has over the past 15 years amassed a catalog of four unimpeachable albums that stretch the boundaries of indie rock. But Performances, their fifth LP, feels like a total reinvention an unflinching statement from an artist who's not afraid to say how they feel. Though it trades muscular guitar rock for understated piano, it's still the most urgent, cathartic, and personal of Powell's career so far. InchIt's the weirdest, mightiest little record I've made since I used to write music on my four-track when I was 14,Inch says Powell. InchI needed to make a love letter to my teenage self by being more vulnerable and doing all the production myself.Inch Here, they doggedly value their own intuition over anything else to make their most rewarding album yet. Performances is a defiant and resonant blow against expectations and outside pressure. It's an LP showcasing an artist without constraints and allowing themself to be radically honest. InchThe album title is very literal,Inch says Powell. InchI'm performing what's in my brain but I'm tired of performing femininity for the music industry, femininity in my life, respectability, and vulnerability. I'm trying to grow out of these and break out of these roles in my life.Inch Powell's fearlessness as a songwriter has already led to Land of Talk boasting an unmistakably essential discography but with this album, they find the perfect opportunity to give themself the grace to truly double down on their own vital sensibilities. They usher the songs every step of the way from demoing to producing, imbuing each track with immense care and unfiltered feeling. InchThis is me reclaiming Land of Talk as it always has been.Inch1. Intro (high bright high)2. Your Beautiful Self3. Fluorescent