Il (album)

Il is the debut studio album of French-Canadian pianist and composer Jean-Michel Blais, released in April 2016 by the Arts & Crafts. The album is a set of improvised piano pieces Blais recorded in his bedroom in Montreal with a Zoom microphone. The LP was produced in such a manner where the listener feels immersed in the music by having other sounds outside the piano bleed into the recording, such as breathing, camera shutters, rain, kids playing, and more. The compositions featured on Il also had sheet music released by Arts & Crafts in July 2016. Il garnered critical acclaim, landing on Time magazine's list of the top ten best albums of the year, and also made it to the longlist of the 2016 Polaris Music Prize, though it never made it into the shortlist.

Il
Studio album by
Jean-Michel Blais
ReleasedApril 8, 2016
Genre
Length29:34
LabelArts & Crafts
ProducerBufflo
Jean-Michel Blais chronology
Il
(2016)		 Cascades
(2017)
Singles from Il
  1. "Nostos"
    Released: February 24, 2016
  2. "Il"
    Released: March 24, 2016
  3. "Pour Johanne"
    Released: September 21, 2016

Concept and production

Il is a collection of minimal improvisational piano pieces[1] Blais composed over the course of two years.[2] The compositions have a melodic pop structure a la Chilly Gonzales[3][4] and Yann Tiersen,[5] in addition to having influences of the works of Erik Satie,[2] Lubomyr Melnyk,[2] Philip Glass,[2] and Maurice Ravel.[4] The compositions on Il goes through a diverse range of emotions, from “Nostos" being a sad and thoughtful track to "Budapest" being very playful.[1] As Blais described the title of Il,

It’s called Il and “two” at the same point. So the concept is that the I which is “one” was a compilation of songs that existed but are not really interesting now. So the I is the idea that the first act of an artist is often super autobiographical. You talk about yourself, so it’s I. And the second thing, which is Il, which is “he,” which is the other. It’s also the name of a song on the album. I don’t know what to say. It feels like this openness to the other, which is why it’s called Il, but it may be confused with a “two,” when it’s actually also a “two.” It’s a play on words. This is the second opus, but I’d prefer not to talk about the first one. Maybe someday something will happen with it.[1]

"If people are going to cough and babies are going to cry, instead of trying to hide it, why not embrace it? I like it when I stop and there’s something happening outside my window. I think that’s why my music has a lot of pauses and silences, because there’s always something happening in the street. I’ll let it pass and then continue playing."

— Blais in an interview with Montreal Gazette[6]

Recording of Il lasted only two days.[7] While moving to Argentina, Blais communicated via Facebook with his friend Devon Bate, credited on the album as Bufflo, to mix the album. Mixing was completed by the time Blais was in Argentina's capital city Buenos Aires.[1] Il is produced in such a manner where the listeners feels surrounded in the music.[8] Blais explained that he began recording his improvisational piano compositions for a full-length album when "one day I realized I had forgotten a piece I had composed," wanting to "document" the piece with the "cheapest Zoom [microphone] you can find."[7] As he explained, "I didn’t want to have a grand piano with a super nice, polished sound. Those improvised pieces are composed in my room with this little recorder. If it was rainy, we could hear the rain, or my roommates speaking."[7]

This gave Blais the idea to "show" what happened outside the room to "bring" the listener into Blais' bedroom: "you['re] sitting there on the couch—and I just play you some pieces of music."[7] Surrounding the piano throughout the album are noises, or "the sounds of life" as Exclaim! put it, of outside weather, camera shutters, raining, breathing, bird chirping, and kids playing.[9] Blais described having these sounds bleed into the recordings as an "acknowledgement that the music is never pure, perfect, and exactly the same–because you listen in your headphones, walking in the street, and what you hear is actually the music plus the car that just passed by you."[7] As writer Stephen Carlick stated, "at times, I felt so immersed in the music, so surrounded, that I was compelled to glance over my shoulder. Though it's a minimalist work of art, Il is overwhelmingly present and alive."[9]

Release

The record was first released online via Bandcamp in 2015.[1] Cameron Reed of the label Arts & Crafts discovered the album on the site and emailed Blais to join the label in late 2015.[1][7] The lead single of Il was "Nostos," which was released on February 24, 2016.[10] An official music video for the track, directed by Jason Rodi and released on March 22, 2016, involves footage of glaciers and seas.[11] On March 24, The Fader premiered the album's title track.[12] Arts & Crafts gave Il an official release on April 8, 2016.[2] Arts & Crafts then released a sheet music book of pieces from the album in digital format on July 15 and physically on July 27.[13] The sheet music release had two additional compositions by Blais, "Ad claritatem domine" and "Pour Johanne," which were later included as tracks on the expanded deluxe edition of Il that was released on October 7, 2016.[14][15] Blais put "Pour Johanne" together based on the death of the mother of one of his friends.[16]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Exclaim!9/10[8]
Now[3]

The Verge called it "thrilling, versatile music," highlighting the record's use of sounds that are heard around the piano: "The album is studded with field recordings and idle noise, and some of its most exciting sequences are dependent on physical presence: Blais’ breath, the thudding and clacking of the piano's keys and pedals, the heavy air of the room in which he's playing."[17] Now reviewer Carla Gillis was favorable towards the album, her only major criticism being that "you wish the album were at least twice as long."[3]

Carlick, reviewing for Exclaim!, wrote, "Blais maintains a strong sense of originality and personality on Il — a hard thing to do on an instrument that's over 300 years old — by mixing a number of styles into his own strongly emotive sound that's never overly cheery or melancholy, but still suits both moods perfectly."[8] Another writer for the source, Calum Slingerland, stated that "Blais's playing is at once immersive and intricate, able to appeal to both genre purists and casual listeners."[18] Il was awarded as one of the "Top 10 Improv & Avant-Garde Albums" of 2016 by the publication.[18] Il was number ten on Time magazine's list of the best albums of 2016, who praised the LP's minimal structure: "The music breathes, and it invites you to take a moment and recognize there’s still plenty of beauty left in the world."[19] It also was on the longlist of the 2016 Polaris Music Prize but didn't make it into the top-ten shortlist.[20]

Track listing

Derived from the liner notes of Il.[21]

No.TitleLength
1."Hasselblad 4 (Improvisation)"1:51
2."Il"2:05
3."Dada"2:40
4."Nostos" (featuring Bufflo)4:30
5."Ad claritatem domine"5:53
6."Hasselblad 2 (Improvisation)"0:58
7."Budapest"3:50
8."Casa"7:47
Total length:29:34
Deluxe edition bonus tracks[22]
No.TitleLength
9."Pour Johanne"4:43
10."Rondo majeur (3 Mains)"3:42
Total length:37:59

Notes

Personnel

Derived from the liner notes of Il.[21]

  • Written and performed by Jean-Michel Blais
  • Produced, engineered, mixed, and recorded by Bufflo
  • Mastered by Joshua Stevenson
  • Piano on "Casa" by Karine Bouchard
  • Cover art photographed by Eric Morrissette
  • Physical release design and layout by Isis Essery

Release history
Region Date Format(s) Label
Worldwide[2] April 8, 2016
Arts & Crafts
Worldwide – deluxe edition[14][15] October 7, 2016

References
  1. Lindsay, Cam (March 24, 2016). "Keys Open Doors: Pianist Jean Michel Blais Talks Bridging Music's Social Classes". Noisey. Vice Media. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  2. Bowe, Miles (February 16, 2016). "Avant piano virtuoso Jean-Michel Blais announces debut album Il". Fact. The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  3. Gillis, Carla (April 6, 2016). "Album of the week: Jean-Michel Blais". Now. Now Communications. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  4. Wheeler, Brad (April 21, 2016). "Plucked from obscurity, pianist Jean-Michel Blais makes his low-key debut". The Globe and Mail. The Woodbridge Company. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  5. "Jean-Michel Blais – Il Sheet Music". Arts & Crafts Shop. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  6. Leijon, Erik (September 16, 2016). "POP Montreal: Jean-Michel Blais embraces the neighbourhood noise". Montreal Gazette. Postmedia Network. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  7. Jarman, Casey (November 9, 2016). "Pianist Jean-Michel Blais on Making the Most of a Once In A Lifetime Opportunity". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  8. Carlick, Stephen (April 6, 2016). "Jean-Michel Blais Il". Exclaim!. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  9. Carlick, Stephen (April 11, 2016). "Jean-Michel Blais Explains His Inner Journey to Minimal Piano Masterpiece 'Il'". Exclaim!. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  10. Skolnik, Jes (February 24, 2016). "Jean-Michel Blais, “Nostos”". Impose. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  11. Bess, Gabby (March 22, 2016). "Jean-Michel Blais' "Nostos" Music Video is Full of National Geographic-Worthy Vistas". Thump. Vice Media. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  12. Darville, Jordan (March 24, 2016). "Jean-Michel Blais Shares Swirling Piano Piece "Il"". The Fader. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  13. Murphy, Sarah (June 17, 2016). "Jean-Michel Blais Preps 'Il' Sheet Music for Release". Exclaim!. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  14. "Il (Deluxe Edition". Jean-Michel Blais Official Bandcamp. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  15. Adams, Gregory (August 28, 2016). "Jean-Michel Blais Announces Expanded Vinyl Edition of 'Il'". Exclaim!. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  16. Murphy, Sarah (September 21, 2016). "Jean-Michel Blais "Pour Johanne"". Exclaim!. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  17. Cox, Jamieson (April 29, 2016). "Brian Eno's The Ship, and the family tree of ambient music". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  18. Slingerland, Calum (December 9, 2016). "Exclaim!'s Top 10 Improv & Avant-Garde Albums". Exclaim!. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  19. Cox, Jamieson (November 22, 2016). "The Top 10 Everything of 2016: The Top 10 Best Albums". Time. Time Inc. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  20. Brophy, Aaron (June 15, 2016). "2016 Polaris Music Prize Long List Is Here". Polaris Music Prize Official Blog. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  21. Il (2016). Jean-Michel Blais. Arts & Crafts. A&C119.
  22. Il Deluxe Edition (2016). Jean-Michel Blais. Arts & Crafts. AC119LP-DLX.
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