In these days of lo-fi renaissance, it’s not always easy to find a practitioner who’s been embracing crackles and hisses since the start, since before digital refinement was even an option. But Thomas Meluch — operating under the nom de rock Benoît Pioulard — is such an early adopter, having graced 4-track and cassettes with experimental folk since the mid-90s. DIY CD-R distribution soon followed, and now, flashforward, his efforts have earned Kranky Records to handle the legwork of hustling his goods. The point being, of course, that Benoît Pioulard has already had the time and career to refine his stratum of indelible folk into something harrowing and its very own. Quality, whether lo-fi or hi, does not appear overnight, and when it does appear, it can sometimes transcend the medium through which it was cut. So listen.
Here is the track “Margin” from Benoît Pioulard’s upcoming album, and a second track, “Hymnal,” should be dropping soon too.
• Benoit Pioulard: http://www.pioulard.com
• Kranky Records: http://www.kranky.net
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