Thursday melodies - Alexandre Wälti
This article can also be viewed on LeMurDuSon.ch
Melancholy, it's true. We can hear it in Leif Vollebekk's music. But that's not all. Above all, there's a mastery of groove that is uncommon among songwriters. The Canadian first came to my ears in 2010 with the intimate album Inland. Thank goodness!
I often listen again Inland with great pleasure. When I need musical authenticity. There's still something of the unfinished touch about it, perhaps the charm of the first album. The acoustic guitar is not hidden behind overly precise arrangements. It's raw and sometimes imperfect.
It dominates and serves this collection of fleeting little melodies whose emotions are as straightforward as the harmonica in Quebec ; and then the sensations fade away like a hobo pressed by a piano note or the crunch of a cello, the musical imprint of ephemeral pleasures. Moreover, the artist recorded this debut album following a stay in Iceland; there, on the music-loving island, he drew on the prolific local scene before returning to Canada and recording ten tracks.
Acoustic chords groovent also
Since then, there have been North Americana in 2013 and, finally, Twin Solitude in 2017. A third album of particular interest to us. In the opening, Vancouver Times imposes a change of tone and, above all, an evolution. A melody much rounder than the previous ones, more arranged. Too much so? The question immediately arises, announcing a break. The piano is more present than in the past. It's worth noting that the young man is a multi-instrumentalist and can have fun with almost anything in the studio.
What happens next? The magic begins All Night Sedans. A background of successive waves of electric guitar. The metaphor is perfectly apt, as the musician's fingers seem to glide over his instrument like the ebb and flow of an ocean. A drum kit with a very jazzy is superimposed to create a real surprise and a welcome serenity. These two characteristics, together with the groovily throbbing rhythm, form the real thread running through Twin Solitude.
Fortunately, the acoustic guitar is making a comeback! In particular, it enters into dialogue with a pedal steel guitar whose effects lend intensity to the marvellous Road To Venus. And what about the intriguing East Of Eden ? Where the electric guitar takes on the air of country mixed with intoxicating pop.
Leif Vollebekk keeps his roots from songwriter in the tradition of Bob Dylan and others. However, he adds just the right amount of groove to make his music unique. In a nutshell, Twin Solitude contains the roughness of being and the fragility of the heart.
Write to the author : alexandre.waelti@leregardlibre.com
French 
German 
English