Jonathan Personne’s recent release Répertoire is a well balanced and intricate album, and I highly enjoyed my time with it. Personne, meaning ‘no one’ in French, is the stage name of Jonathan Robert who made a name for himself as a member of the Quebec band Corridor. In 2015, Robert began creating music under the name Jonathan Personne as a solo side project. Corridor also still writes and releases music, with Robert playing guitar and doing vocals for the group. His newest work Répertoire is a showcase of many years of refining his skills and craft, as he presents a creative and well thought through album.
To me, this album feels just like the end of summer. It is warm, happy, but not without a slight undertone of melancholy. The combination of indie folk vibes and mesmerizing guitars and bass lines are reminiscent of artists like Alex G or Andy Shauf. However, Personne has a lighter touch, adding more airiness to the guitar tones and incorporating saxophones and woodwinds in Répertoire, rounding out many arrangements and elevating them beyond what could be simple tunes. He also relies on reverb, loops, self sampling and synths to pull the listener into a dreamlike atmosphere. All of these elements serve to build a peaceful, yet imaginative soundscape that is easy to get lost in.
The first track on the album, “Je Pense à toi”, instantly sets the mood for the whole album, and lets the listener wander into Personne’s musical style. Heavy on reverb, melodic guitars, and ending with sparkly and playful electronic elements, I think it is the perfect opening song to introduce the album. Personne makes sure to keep the album interesting and balanced by switching between songs driven by acoustic guitars with a more folky style and more modern electronic tracks, as well as slowing down and speeding up the rhythms over the course of the album. Everything is brought together with consistent uses of repetitive elements throughout each song.
My personal favourite from the album is “Superstar”. The guitar, bass, and even to a point the vocals, are pushed into the background as a looping, bold synth stands out as the main instrument. The repetition creates an element of suspense as the song builds and finally explodes in layered vocals, slide guitars and bright drums. To me, this track is the epitome of the album, as it not only showcases Personne’s creativity, but it captures the sense of all the other songs; a sense of spinning and dancing around in comforting nostalgia.
The final track “Feu de joie” leaves a bit to be desired, as it seems like just another song on the album. There is no revelry or celebration for the ending. It is certainly a pretty song, and features the same balance of lightness and bolder musical elements as the synths seem to twinkle and swirl around you while the guitar steadies the song. However, if you happen to have the album on repeat as I did, the transition back to the opening track seems almost natural, as if the album wants to spin you around again and keep you in the moment just a little bit longer, the final track becoming less of a closing, and more like an interlude. Overall, Personne has created a beautiful album that serves to usher out the end of the summer as it evokes feelings of lingering on the good times of the past that you can return to year after year.