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Précis (album)
Encyclopedia
Précis is the debut full-length album by Portland, Oregon
based musician Benoit Pioulard
, released by Kranky
on October 16, 2006.
and cassette
, as well as the 7" EP Enge
, which was put out by Moodgadget in 2005. He later signed a deal with Chicago label Kranky
, from which this album was released.
profile in September 2006.
Limited to only 25 copies, this edition had exclusive content not available on the standard release and due to high demand sold out rapidly.
was one of the first publications to review the album, remarking:
Allmusic, who named Pioulard a "Hot Artist" in December 2006, were also impressed with the album, saying:
For other reviews of this album, see external links.
Themes in the video generally revolve around photography
and nature
. It shows Pioulard travelling around various locations and taking Polaroid
photographs of his surroundings, which then fall to the ground. Featuring a mixture of close-up shots and distant views, it is a hazy, almost dreamlike video that seems to fit with the style of the song and its ephemeric lyrical focus.
View the video in QuickTime format here
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
based musician Benoit Pioulard
Benoit Pioulard
Thomas Meluch is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, writer, and photographer, best known by his pseudonym Benoît Pioulard.- Biography :...
, released by Kranky
Kranky Records
Kranky is an independent record label, located in Chicago, Illinois. It was started in 1993 by Bruce Adams and Joel Leoschke.The bands it houses are noted for combining experimental and often electronic influences with elements of more traditional rock structures, and many of the artists on Kranky...
on October 16, 2006.
Background
Before the release of this album, Pioulard (born Thomas Meluch) already had a fairly substantial discography. This included many self-released albums on CD-RCD-R
A CD-R is a variation of the Compact Disc invented by Philips and Sony. CD-R is a Write Once Read Many optical medium, though the whole disk does not have to be entirely written in the same session....
and cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
, as well as the 7" EP Enge
Enge (EP)
Enge is an EP by Benoit Pioulard, released in 2005 by Moodgadget. It was pressed on clear 7" vinyl, and limited to only 300 copies.-Critical Reaction:-Track listing:#Pinconning - 3:05#Kids are getting younger - 2:48#Es/sa - 3:09...
, which was put out by Moodgadget in 2005. He later signed a deal with Chicago label Kranky
Kranky Records
Kranky is an independent record label, located in Chicago, Illinois. It was started in 1993 by Bruce Adams and Joel Leoschke.The bands it houses are noted for combining experimental and often electronic influences with elements of more traditional rock structures, and many of the artists on Kranky...
, from which this album was released.
Hand-made version
An elaborate handmade version of this album was released through his MyspaceMyspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
profile in September 2006.
Limited to only 25 copies, this edition had exclusive content not available on the standard release and due to high demand sold out rapidly.
Critical Reaction
Précis was generally very well-received by critics. Stylus MagazineStylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
was one of the first publications to review the album, remarking:
Allmusic, who named Pioulard a "Hot Artist" in December 2006, were also impressed with the album, saying:
For other reviews of this album, see external links.
Track listing
- "La Guerre de Sept Ans" – 3:08
- "Together & Down" – 3:07
- "Ext. Leslie Park" – 2:42
- "Triggering Back" – 2:30
- "Moth Wings" – 1:16
- "Alan & Dawn" – 2:50
- "Corpus Chant" – 1:43
- "Palimend" – 3:04
- "Coup de Foudre" – 1:31
- "Hirondelle" – 2:22
- "Needle & Thread" – 2:42
- "R Coloring" – 0:39
- "Sous la Plage" – 2:59
- "Patter" – 2:58
- "Ash into the Sky" – 3:18
Music videos
On December 6, 2006 a video for Triggering Back was released. It was directed by Adam Hunt and was posted on both Pioulard's Myspace profile and his official website.Themes in the video generally revolve around photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
and nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
. It shows Pioulard travelling around various locations and taking Polaroid
Instant film
Instant film is a type of photographic film first introduced by Polaroid that is designed to be used in an instant camera...
photographs of his surroundings, which then fall to the ground. Featuring a mixture of close-up shots and distant views, it is a hazy, almost dreamlike video that seems to fit with the style of the song and its ephemeric lyrical focus.
View the video in QuickTime format here