This morning, we are going back to where we grew up, to the land of our teenage years, with Montreal-based singer-songwriter Philémon Cimon.
It took a while for Philémon Cimon’s songs to cross the Atlantic Ocean and reach my ears. I discovered him with his sixth album “PAYS”. Released in May 2019, this album is a magnificent collection of stories rooted in Quebec landscapes. Recorded between his apartment, a small church in Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive and a chapel in Port-au-Persil, in Charlevoix, these songs reflect his desire to return to more acoustic, raw and authentic music. The trigger was the discovery of her grandmother’s memories, a long recording of around thirty hours in which she recounts her childhood. Now Philémon is one of the artists I listen to the most on Sunday mornings. His voice is familiar to me like the one of a childhood friend and I feel like if I too have memories at Charlevoix.
Philémon Cimon’s selection
Jean-Sébastien Bach - Magnificat En Ré Majeur, BWV 243 : Choeur I. “Magnificat anima mea Dominium”
Philémon: ” À ce qu’il parait, mes grand-parents maternelles écoutaient le Magnificat le dimanche. Je me suis mis à l’écouter il y a 7 ans. Je ne sais pas comment ça se passait chez mes grand-parents, j’étais pas là à ce moment-là, mais le dimanche matin, j’aime ça écouter du Bach. En fait, j’aime beaucoup écouter Bach le matin en général. Pis cette pièce-là est joyeuse. Ça met de bonne humeur tout en étant relativement calmant. Je l’écoute à Noël aussi. Pas juste les dimanches. “
Félix Leclerc - Les Dimanches
Philémon: ” J’adore Félix Leclerc. Tout simplement. J’en écouterais pas mal tout le temps. Cette chanson-là parle des dimanches. Et de liberté. Et de la difficulté de se sentir libre dans la société dans laquelle on vit.
“Mais c’est dimanche qu’on s’arrête
Comme dans le creux vert d’une baie
Et qu’on enlève son collier
Pour oublier qu’on est des bêtes.”
Le dimanche, c’est une possibilité de vivre, pour celui qui travaille trop. S’il décide de s’arrêter. Et à notre époque, ça veut aussi dire, s’il décide de se débrancher. Écouter de la musique, sans regarder des courriels ou instagram/fb, c’est vraiment super le fun ! “
Safia Nolin & Pomme - Lesbian Break-Up Song
Philémon: ” J’adore Safia et Pomme. Ce sont des chanteuses incroyables. Toutes deux si différentes dans leur voix, mais si belles à leur façon. Il y a une légèreté et même une liberté qui sortent de leur bouche quand elles chantent. Je sais pas comment dire ça. Quand Pomme chante, mon corps se détend instantanément. Et quand Safia chante, mon corps se détend instantanément. Et je suis hypnotisé. Et je veux rester dans ce lieu. Deux lieux différents, incomparables. Mais tous deux indispensables. J’ai donc choisi cette chanson, parce que là, en plus, elles chantent ensemble. Mais ensemble ou séparément, c’est tout aussi beau. Et ce sont de grandes compositrices de chansons aussi. “
MailTape’s selection
Philémon Cimon - Latte Chumey
Jules: ” My favorite Philémon song remains “Les Pommiers Envahis” (go listen to it!), but as I already included it in Corte Real’s MailTape episode I decided to listen to his fourth album “PAYS” again. This song talks about the sweet simplicity of everyday life, romances that bloom and fade, memories that survive the passing of time. “
Kacey Johansing - wildfire (Hand Habits cover)
Jules: ” Hand Habits wrote “wildfire” during the California Wildfires in 2017. Being aware of the consequences of climate change while on tour and admitting himself that being a musician and traveling the world for concerts for three quarters of the year is not the most environmentally friendly way of life, the singer-songwriter chose 5 artists to make a cover of this song for the Wildfire compilation, which is donating all of its profits to the Amazon Conservation Association. All of the covers are great but this one from Kacey Johansing has somthing special to me. “
SAULT - Threats
Jules: ” We don’t know much about this mysterious group coming from England and simply called SAULT, which has suddenly released two albums in 2019. Next to all of their hits, great mixes of new wave and indie soul, there are also slower ballads like this one, taken from their second album 7. “
Helado Negro - Todo Lo Que Me Falta
Jules: ” This song is taken from “This Is How You Smile”, Miami-born, New York-based artist Roberto Carlos Lange’s sixth album. I have a preference for his Spanish-lyrics songs, and this one is perfect for taking the time to think about what you could do today. “
That’s it for this morning, thank you so much for being with us every Sunday morning! Much love and respect to Philémon Cimon for his wonderful Sunday selections, and to Camille Célestin for this episode’s stunning illustration.
