Beatrice Martin is Cœur de Pirate and hails from Montreal. Her 2008 self-titled debut was quite successful. I don't remember how I discovered her... one of those chance encounters... but I'm so glad I did. I fell for her instantly, not only because she's gorgeous, tatted up, plays wicked piano, and sings in French (she's bilingual)... but her songs never leave you. There are songs that rest in your ears, and then those that reside in your heart. The first time I heard her song Fondu au Noir I had it on repeat every night for almost a week and couldn't stop listening to it. Even though you may not have any idea of what exactly she's singing... you can feel the heart behind each of this pirate's songs. Her music is very straight forward, at times sarcastic, and on others she makes herself quite vulnerable. Bottom line, she'll win you over. She just released her second album Blondeand it's phenomenal. You've got to check it out! I've got such an affinity for songs in 3/4 and minor keys. Its filled with simple yet genius piano lines, haunting lyrics and melodies, and an absolutely beautiful voice... all together making up the classic sound of Cœur de Pirate that we all love. She's absolutely brilliant.
I've been listening to this album almost non-stop since one of my buddies [David Andrew.. who also is an author/co-founder of this blog/musical genius] sent it my way a couple weeks back... and thank God he did. I can't believe it took as long as it did to get into my hands [it was released in Aug last year]. Most of us know Sean as the drummer and supporting vocalist from Bon Iver. This is his first solo venture and isn't your typical "album" - a couple great songs and a bunch of useless ones. Every song is dripping of brilliance. His voice possesses the power to quiet and still any storm that might be raging in you. You can hear that each song has been carefully crafted and that his blood, sweat, & tears coat each note, each layer of instrumentation, and have been woven into each harmony. Oh the harmonies... this is probably one of my favorite elements of this album. Its a lot like getting into a nice warm bath after a long and hard day... you slowly sink in and slide down, letting the water cover you from head to toe and swallow you whole. His melody and harmonies don't follow the norm of what we hear every day on the radio, but at the same time they aren't so 'out there' that they lose their relevancy. They are so smooth... so warm... seem so familiar, but at the same time are quite unfamiliar and create dissonance. Its the same kind of paradoxical familiarity that bewitches us when we first meet certain kinds of people. It doesn't happen often, but when it does... time seems to blur, your heart pounds, stomach drops... and even though you've just met her... she feels so familiar, so comfortable... like home.
So... do yourself a favor and get this album right away [click here]... then make yourself a cup of coffee, put on an old sweater, find a rainy day, and press play.
