Tarot enthusiasts could tell us, in great detail, about the symbolism of the Tower (Maison-Dieu, in French). Is it, in this case, a scale, with one of the plates bearing the humility, and the other the ambition, of Lysandre M\u00e9nard? Perhaps so, for we can sense the young singer-songwriter is humble in her content and ambitious in her songs. Indeed, they\u2019re based on harmonic and melodic structures, as well as textures, which augur a fruitful future for this young creator. A lover of symbols, Lysandre, and a fan of myths. In the first piece, \u201cPersephone\u201d, she evokes the Greek goddess who alternates between infernal underworld and verdant fields. Lysandre then takes us to a forest of love, where Artemis, Greek goddess of the wilderness, frolics with a deer companion. Then, \u201cKa\u00efma\u201d \u2013 the only piece in English \u2013 represents another self, a goddess of courage who intervenes when necessary. Finally, \u201cUlysses\u201d is an ode to resilience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We saw and heard Lysandre with The Loodies, a Montreal quintet led by Ludovic Alarie, as well as with the London trio Girl Ray, which she accompanied on tour. She also studied piano at the Royal Academy of Music in London and was seen in L\u00e9a Pool’s film La passion d’Augustine<\/em>. On Maison-Dieu<\/em>, Lysandre has joined forces with a number of strong collaborators: musician and composer Blaise \u00c9mard produced; Valentin Ignat and the ubiquitous Emmanuel \u00c9thier mixed; Ad\u00e8le Trottier-Rivard is on backing vocals; Simon Pag\u00e9 and Nicolas Basque on bass guitar; the latter, along with Kerry Bursey and Valentin Ignat, on guitars, and Samuel Gougoux and Sasha Woodward on drums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond the British-American electro-pop references, one notes the more contiguous influence, in terms of dreamlike pop, of former colleague Alarie, and of Kl\u00f4 Pelgag. No need to be trained in the divinatory arts to foresee a happy sequel to Maison-Dieu<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n