Peter Peter - Une Version Améliorée De La Tristesse (2013) [Hi-Res]

Peter Peter's second album kicks off with the title track, "Une version améliorée de la tristesse," which could have been called "Une version améliorée de Peter Peter" ("an improved version of Peter Peter") because what this Montreal-based singer-songwriter offered us last fall is truly a masterpiece.

From the very first notes of the album, the keyboards evoke sonorities reminiscent of the '80s, and Peter's soft, seductive vocals and poetry transport us to a fairy-like, romantic, nostalgic world — werewolves, will-o'-the-wisps, gold drops… Add to this atmosphere an impressive saxophone solo and you have me lost in Peter Peter's "improved" universe.

The album continues with "Carrousel," one of many lively songs (hello, radio singles!!). It's quite impossible not to have "Tu tournes dans ma tête comme un carrousel, qui ne s’arrête jamais, ne t’arrête jamais" stuck in your head for hours, days, even weeks. At the very least, it's been stuck in mine since the release of the album. Not only is the melody catchy, but the arrangements are also immaculate. The piano, the keyboards, the guitar, the drums… everything is meticulously calculated and finds its precise place in this song… and the eight other ones that follow.

The songs flow naturally and follow each other brilliantly, leaving listeners always wanting more. The LP is consistent, contains no filler and is memorable from start to finish. There's even an instrumental tune, the album's penultimate song titled "Barbès-Rochechouart," which shows off his musicianship and talent as a producer.

Throughout the record, the songwriting quality is impressive, the songs are lush and elaborate. Peter Peter offers a rich, refined, textured sound. With its '80s flare, lavish sax solos (watch out, Kenny G!), strong melodies and vaporous vocals, and even though the opus is clearly influenced by trendy Anglo-Saxon music, Peter had the knack to pick the best bits from this trend and make them his own.

We already knew he was both romantic and melancholic, but here, the singer finds the right creative way to tell stories that anyone can easily identify with by choosing Montreal as the main setting. Stories about crazy youth, carefreeness, love torments, maturity, never-ending quests to find love and happiness, and many more.

His lyrics reveal the talent of a battle-hardened poet, probably one of the most important storytellers of his generation. With his innocence and vulnerability, it's impossible not to fall under Peter Peter's charm.

Une version améliorée de la tristesse is, in my opinion, the best indie pop album of the year and deserves to be known and appreciated across Quebec and the rest of Canada. (Melissa Hetu)