NOW & HERE (vinyl)

Description

Sombre Et Lumineux (Soul Kitchen): We last left the elegant French band three years ago with the album MicrOrgan. A pivotal record that offered an acoustic reinterpretation of the Santa Cruz repertoire and, in many ways, echoed the refined and soulful American bands like Lambchop, Sparklehorse, Wilco, or even the giant Neil Young. That was in 2014. 1095 days later, the time for a four-star reunion with the now quintet from Rennes is symbolized by a perfect alignment of the stars around a sixth studio album titled Now & Here. - - Now & Here. And not later or elsewhere, no, no. Here and now. Now & Here. A title that didn’t just come out of nowhere but resonates and asserts itself naturally. Because the world has changed in these last three years. Because Santa Cruz has inevitably changed too. And to my knowledge, Pierre-Vital Gerard (vocals and guitars), Vassilli Caillosse (guitars), Thomas Schaettel (piano, keyboards), Jacques Auvergne (bass), and Alex Tual (drums) have never been sharper. "This is our best album, the one we are most proud of," confesses Pierre-Vital Gerard without blushing. ---- ---- ---- ---- Recorded and mixed by Ian Caple (Tricky, Tindersticks) - - Arrangements: Joseph Racaille (Alain Bashung, Miossec, Thomas Fersen) - featuring: Mirabelle Gillis (Miossec)