Joseph Edgar returns this year with nine English-language songs, just a few months after releasing a self-titled album. This ninth album was recorded and self-produced at home, polished with collaborators Benoit Bouchard and Sunny Duval. The Songs of Parkton Miller Vol.1 is a return to basics, both musically and poetically, “like an old knitted jumper, hanging by a thread but still keeping you warm.”
We ‘take off for a ride’ with “Champagne 25,” a catchy opening track that makes us feel like we’re accompanying Joseph to the music gang’s house party, the perfect introduction to what follows. “OMD” then draws us in with his beautiful harmonica in a melancholy ballad… the spirit of Lou Reed is not far away. Next comes “Trippin’ (3 in the Mornin’),” a late-night roadhouse blues song that transports us to one of those typical porch jams in Moncton, which we miss forever once we’ve experienced them.
“Somewhere in Tibet” is more introspective, living up to its name and thought-provoking, with a bright acoustic guitar refrain. “Wood Pipe,” with its unique progression, reinforces this perception of an intimate, DIY recording, punctuated by a few sound glitches and slipping in poetic gems such as “Ain’t it funny how things fly/ And ain’t it sad good things die.”
On “Better,” one of my favourites, we discover one of the most catchy melodies on the album, with a clear Beatles influence. In the form of advice given to a friend, the self-deprecation is endearing: “I’m a hippie yes I know, try my best to help things grow/ I try not to judge too hard and get the hell out of my yard.” “Marching Bands, Mosh Pits and “Funeral Songs” highlights Joseph’s country roots on the only song where I would have preferred more arrangements, given the space and the crescendo. We stay in the same vein with “Sailor Jane,” a maritime song in which the desire to set sail develops against a backdrop of sliding guitar and choirs blown by the warm wind. Finally, “Eyes” closes the album like a warm musical fable, reminiscent of “Walk on the Wild Side” at times.
A warm album, full of authenticity and without pretension. Joseph Edgar takes us by the hand on a journey, surprising us with the richness of his inspirations.
