Guillaum mopein

About "meilleur que mille mots dénués de sens ou la philantropie des ouvriers charpentiers" 2003"The given name Guillaume has a great tradition in the poetic and troubadour traditions in Europe and wasn't simply invented as a place to stash some extra vowels. One immediate reference point is the late 19th century poet Guillaume Apollinaire, who wrote of love and war among other topics. On a more contemporary Guillaume trail, the creator of this masterpiece of contemporary folk should not be confused with the singer of the same name whose album entitled Lost Love dates from a just bit earlier. Based in Brussels, the Guillaume whose works (from 2001 through 2003) are sampled on this bi-titled, self-produced CD Meilleur Que Mille Mots Denves de Sens ou, La Philantropie des Ouvriers Cha will hopefully attract a large audience from listeners who have turned to folk forms in search of intimacy and a communicative spirit not possible in the processed world of over-produced rock bands of the day. While the term folk itself is vague to the point of tears, it is at least suitable for establishing the presence of a performer alone on a stage, backed only by what music can be created personally, usually on an acoustic guitar. True to form, Guillaume is pretty much responsible for every sound heard throughout these 18 tracks, other than bits of edited found sounds, a stray guest vocal, and the out-and-out piracy of a Beck performance as part of his own spoof of the maestro. While many performers on the folk scene consider themselves lucky if they can be judged decent in one style and interpret a few songs exceptionally well, this talent is expansive, with challenging conclusions, the swords of skill rattling and clashing in an enjoyable duel. Guillaume is not best at singing in English, French, or German; at being funny or deadly serious; at vocalizing or simply playing haunting, fingerpicking instrumental passages he is simply great at all these things, making this program of songs difficult to extract from a CD player. True, it is not quite as versatile as it seemed upon the very first audition: unfortunately, it was discovered that someone else in the adjoining room had put on a Shania Twain record at the same time. Guillaume may have chosen the obscure "Here I Always Am" to do it, but he is nonetheless the only performer who can be said to have improved upon a Captain Beefheart performance. "by Eugene CHADBOURNE