One autumn, two winters and one summer. That is how much time it took for Geneviève Castrée to change her musical identity from "Woelv" to "Ô Paon". Two years of gestation and four visits to Montréal's Hotel2Tango recording studio.
Courses announces from the start its difference from previous records by Geneviève. The sky is heavy and the universe got darker. The lyrics are more solemn, exploring the shadowy parts of our society: wastelands, greed, the absurdity of power, violence, loneliness.
Thierry Amar (Silver Mt. Zion, Black Ox Orkestar, Godspeed You! Black Emperor) expertly arranges the recordings, adding a particular texture to the songs and even playing the role of translator for certain ideas. Courses is a record built on loops, rich with vocal and musical repetitions leading us inexorably where it wants to: what Geneviève sees as this decline unfolds. She captures the moment without cynicism or judgement (« Je t'ai vue seule et abandonnée » - I saw you alone and abandoned). Sadness contemplates sadness. Geneviève seems to tell us that life is a race already lost, and wonders what we are running after, "But don't bet on my horse, he is too tired.". Occasionally anger takes over and the musicians (Nadia Moss, Sophie Trudeau, Jonah Fortune, Julie Houle et David Payant) unite and bring their power to raise a storm. Humans and horses speed in chaos, not knowing where they are going and not caring about obstacles.
9 songs / 43:25
(released as TAUS003 by Ô Paon, Sept. 7th, 2010)