As Bowie sang Warhol at the time, Hippie Hourrah performs Hurtubise today. The band put their legacy into song, drawing titles, canvases and the life of the artist into pretty rhymes and melodies. All song titles refer to works. And if it is easy to attach the concept to the album without really sticking to it, we feel here that the result really honors the artist who inspires it.
The postmodern work of the painter, who died in 2014, is colorful, exploded, overflowing with energy (the Onibaba piece, which adorns the cover, illustrates this well). That of the group formed by Cédric Marinelli, Miles Dupire-Gagnon and Gabriel Lambert is just as special, its psychedelic pop at the service of always engaging rhythms. The finish is more accessible than what Hippie Hooray presented before and it suits her well.
Cédric Marinelli was accompanied by Ralph Elawani for the writing. The union of the two feathers makes sparks. The texts submit to a quest for answers, speak of ill-being, their own and that of others, observe the world, describe it and decry it. A fictional journalist, centered on himself rather than the person he is interviewing, whose voice is that of Elawani, intervenes on the disc and asks questions to Jacques Hurtubise. A playful addition, which we admit however not taking the time to listen to each time we play the disc.
The group was surrounded for this album: Alix Lepage (percussionist related to Jacques Hurtubise), Daniel Thouin, Christian-Sean Trudel, Paige Barlow, Joé Napoléon, Chris Darley participated in the making. The collective instrumental work has borne fruit: beyond words, Expositionindividual is a successful album from start to finish in terms of its melodies, its arrangements.
Not knowing the work of Jacques Hurtubise creates no inconvenience when approaching the Hippie Hourrah album. Starting vein, the theme is the pretext for an exploration that seems much broader still. However, listening to Individual Exhibition makes you want to (re)discover the painter’s work. A beautiful tribute and a very successful album.