Philippe Cohen Solal
Solal presents: The Moonshine Sessions

LA RECENSIONE

Take a damn French guy who has always dealt with electronic music, has been a high-level DJ, entered as a producer in very important music projects, supervised the soundtracks of films by Nikita Mikhalkov, Lars von Trier, Bertrand Tavernier, and Kieslowski, worked with Daft Punk, Chemical Bros, dealt with techno, house, ethnic music, then during a free moment founded the Gotan Project. One day, it is said after listening to Harvest, he flew to the USA to delve into country, bluegrass, Delta blues and came out with this album where he tackles all the stylistic elements of those American musics, managing to be credible, despite letting his very different roots shine through the tracks. A great pop composer, he displays a truly unparalleled mimetic sensitivity, tackling and somehow countrifying even Abba and Sex Pistols. It's evident that this project is a game, even brazenly undertaken, but with a class that leaves you surprised and provides a disorienting final result. In a positive sense, because if the apparent banality baffles you, there's something more underneath.

The Academy of Trust and Seven Guns deserve mention, but especially Psycho Girls & Psychow Boys is the mirror of the operation, with banjo and glass harp wonderfully distorting and estranging the picture.

A not masterpiece (that comes close) not to be missed