If someone closes a door, it’s because they’ve opened a frame, as the saying goes: without dwelling on the subject at length, let’s just say that blesse was born out of the end of Zen Bamboo, and that L\u00e9o Leblanc, Xavier Touikan and Charles-Antoine Olivier’s (aka CAO) chemical response to said end was a burst of creativity: as soon as they were ensconced in a Lanaudi\u00e8re cottage jamming, gathering ideas discarded over the years for further substantiation, opening up to the vast panoply of DIY post-prod – catalyst of acquired experience, gas pedal of developed expression, emancipated emancipation et al.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And now that that’s out of the way, like them, we’re focusing on what’s new: they started listening to music like never before – drawing inspiration from Porches, My Bloody Valentine, Indochine and the hyperpop and bedroom pop movements – with the aim of creating idiosyncratic, plural, abrasive and, above all, catchy pop; they started talking about song structures with stars in their eyes; they realized that what mattered most to them was having a signature sound on record rather than on stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With these precepts in mind, they set to work full time, developing a work ethic that is both rigorous and nimble, via a relationship of total trust where missteps are (almost) non-existent and evolution is forward-looking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It took 9 months before they found the composite sound they were looking for – but once they had, the rest flowed almost autonomously, nourished by incessant cyclical collaboration. So the band becomes the band it wants to be with each piece, lead vocals alternate, everything renews itself. The result is “Paroles et musique par blesse”-type credits. They often start with guitar + vocal compositions that are written at the same time as they are recorded, augmented by synthetic arrangements that have been reworked 1,000 times, which in turn enhance the meaning of the lyrics. They start out, rarely returning to the point of departure – always discovering, with no end in sight. The only constraint is not to be constantly maximalist – that’s the hard part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s a start, then – a start that wants to keep the energy of the start for a long time. It hurts, and it starts now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Si quelqu\u2019un ferme une porte c\u2019est qu\u2019il a ouvert un ch\u00e2ssis, dit l\u2019adage : sans nous \u00e9tendre longuement sur le sujet, asseyons tout de suite que blesse est issu de la fin de Zen Bamboo, et que la r\u00e9ponse chimique de L\u00e9o Leblanc, Xavier Touikan et Charles-Antoine Olivier (alias CAO) \u00e0 ladite fin a \u00e9t\u00e9 un \u00e9lan cr\u00e9atif : sit\u00f4t encaban\u00e9s dans un chalet lanaudois \u00e0 jammer, r\u00e9unissant des id\u00e9es \u00e9cart\u00e9es au fil des ans pour les \u00e9tayer davantage, s\u2019ouvrant au vaste pan de la post-prod DIY \u2013 catalyseur d\u2019exp\u00e9rience acquise, acc\u00e9l\u00e9rateur d\u2019expression d\u00e9velopp\u00e9e, affranchissement \u00e9mancip\u00e9 et al.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Et l\u00e0, maintenant que \u00e7a s\u2019est dit, \u00e0 leur instar on se concentre sur le neuf : ils se sont mis \u00e0 \u00e9couter de la musique comme jamais \u2013 s\u2019inspirant notamment de Porches, My Bloody Valentine et Indochine et des mouvances hyperpop et bedroom pop \u2013 en ayant en mire de cr\u00e9er une pop idiosyncrasique, plurielle, abrasive et surtout catchy; se sont mis \u00e0 jaser de structures de pi\u00e8ces avec des \u00e9toiles dans les yeux; ont r\u00e9alis\u00e9 que ce qui leur importait d\u2019abord, c\u2019\u00e9tait d\u2019avoir une signature sonore sur enregistrement plut\u00f4t que sur sc\u00e8ne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
C\u2019est gr\u00e9\u00e9s de ces pr\u00e9ceptes qu\u2019ils se sont mis \u00e0 plancher pas mal \u00e0 temps plein, d\u00e9veloppant une \u00e9thique de travail \u00e0 la fois rigoureuse et leste via une relation de confiance totale o\u00f9 les faux-pas n\u2019existent (presque) pas et o\u00f9 l\u2019\u00e9volution se fait par en avant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00c7a aura pris 9 mois avant qu\u2019ils trouvent le son composite recherch\u00e9 \u2013 mais, une fois saisi, le reste a coul\u00e9 de fa\u00e7on quasi autonome, nourri par une incessante collaboration cyclique. Le groupe devient donc le groupe qu\u2019il veut \u00eatre \u00e0 chaque pi\u00e8ce, les voix principales s\u2019alternent, tout se renouvelle. En r\u00e9sultent des cr\u00e9dits de type \u00ab Paroles et musique par blesse \u00bb. \u00c7a part souvent de compositions guitare + voix qui sont \u00e9crites en m\u00eame temps qu\u2019enregistr\u00e9es, augment\u00e9es d\u2019arrangements synth\u00e9tiques revir\u00e9s de bord 1000 fois qui vont venir \u00e0 leur tour bonifier le sens des paroles. \u00c7a part, pour rarement revenir au point de d\u00e9part \u2013 pour d\u00e9couvrir toujours, sans finalit\u00e9 annonc\u00e9e. La seule contrainte, c\u2019est de ne pas \u00eatre constamment maximaliste \u2013 \u00e7a, c\u2019est le bout pas facile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
C\u2019est un d\u00e9part, donc \u2013 un d\u00e9part qui veut conserver l\u2019\u00e9nergie du d\u00e9part longtemps. C\u2019est blesse, et \u00e7a commence maintenant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n