Expire is the second album from the group led by guitarist, singer and rapper Benjamin Copland Gilbert. Cope Land is a play on words from the guy’s name but also about the artist’s and his partners’ social and intellectual commitment. These days, we all have to ‘cope’ with a sometimes crazy socio-political situation. We live in a kind of ‘’Cope Land.’’
That said, the important thing is the music, isn’t it? And be warned, it hits hard! Ouch, it throws a hard and inevitable punch, particularly where it counts, my friends.
Expire is cathartic music, packed with sonic and linguistic salvos that are as hard-hitting as they are emotionally imbued. English and French, metal, hip hop, alt-rock, chanson, and a healthy dose of jazz bind it all together in a high, creative and thoughtful stature. High stature, yes, but still raw, even brutal, emotions that coalesce to deal with vast, committed subjects (addiction, the climate crisis, the rising toxic right, etc.).
It’s a double injection of energy and adrenalin, with a few well-earned and rather beautiful moments of rest, expressed in a fairly successful soft alt pop style. Jeanne Laforest’s voice is superb in the softer moments, Benjamin’s rap is intense and rightly percussive, the rest of the band sounds like a powerful machine yet capable of some extreme turns and steps. Wow.
Expire satisfies, questions, delights, punches and stimulates. A friggin’ good album!
READ THE INTERVIEW WITH COPE LAND
All the compositions are by Ben Gilbert, with the exception of :
“Shame” and “Enfin”: composed by Ben Gilbert and Jeanne Laforest,
and “Limbo (interlude),” improvised by Antoine Tardif, Hugo Leclerc and Alex Desjardins.
Lyrics by Benjamin Gilbert and Jeanne Laforest
Ben Gilbert: Guitars, vocals and bass on 2,3,4,7,12
Jeanne Laforest: Vocals, synthesizer
Antoine Tardif: Trumpet, flugelhorn
Hugo Leclerc: Saxophones, flute, clarinet
Alex Desjardins: Trombone/electric trombone
Greg Kustka-Tsimbidis: Drums, percussion
Julien Pageau-Grégoire: Bass on 1,6,9,11
Summer Kodama: Double bass on 3, bass on 8
Lauriane Pothier: Vocals on 2,11
Allie Weigh: Violin, Viola, Vocals on 11.
