Bonsound

Named Songwriter of the Year at the 2014 ADISQ Gala for Ornithologie, la nuit, Philippe B returns with a fifth album, La grande nuit vidéo, released on May 12th, 2017 via Bonsound.

With his critically-acclaimed album Variations fantômes (2011), he explored and sampled the work of classical composers, then used multiple wind instruments to create a late-night soundtrack on the Polaris Long-Listed Ornithologie, la nuit (2014). For this new LP, nominated on the 2017 Polaris Music Prize Long List, Philippe B was inspired to create cinematic chord arrangements, reaffirming that he is one of the great Quebecois singer-songwriters (Olivier Robillard-Laveaux).

On La grande nuit vidéo, he explores the human connection with fiction through the paradigm of a couple. During the writing process, he felt that he needed to include a female voice in these songs. This character is personified on the album by the voice of Laurence Lafond-Beaulne (Milk & Bone), who sings with Philippe B on three songs.

The couple’s intimate everyday life, presented by the protagonists’ voices as well as Philippe B at the guitar or the piano, is punctuated by colourful, exuberant orchestral performances which turn reality into fiction and makes the intimate universal. Inspired by Nancy Huston’s essay L’espèce fabulatrice, some songs tackle themes like love, war, religion and destiny, while others focus on the personal relationship between humans and fiction.

Biography

Critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter Philippe B makes timeless French classic pop tunes. Following the release of his third album, Variations fantômes (2011), he, along with the Molinari Quartet and a chamber orchestra, performed sold-out shows at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, Club Soda and Église St-Jean-Baptiste. Between these concerts and the composition of his fourth studio album, Ornithologie, la nuit, released in April 2014, Philippe B put his multiple talents to good use by producing albums for Groenland, Isabelle Boulay, Les soeurs Boulay and Carl-Éric Hudon. In addition to recently lending a hand to Pierre Lapointe on the song Les Callas, he also wrote the original soundtrack for Éric Morin’s latest film, Chasse au Godard d’Abbittibbi.