Artist.......: Thomas Belhom
Album........: No border
Label........: Ici d'ailleurs
Genre........: Indie
Catnr........: n/a
source.......: CDDA
rip.date.....: Oct-06-2006
str.date.....: 2006
quality......: VBR/44.1Hz/Joint-Stereo
Url..........: n/a
track title time
01. Hey Man 03:42
02. Sometimes 03:07
03. Always 04:25
04. Oceanic 03:22
05. No border 02:51
06. Pink turns to blue 04:24
07. South over the seven hills 04:45
08. Piano Viva 01:33
09. Sous un hΘlicoptΦre 03:03
10. Overseas 05:21
11. Nir Terminal 00:55
Runtime 37:28 min
Size 54,2 MB
Release Notes:
featuring:
Stuart A. Staples and David Boulter (Tindersticks)
;
Volker Zander and Paul Niehaus (Calexico) ;
William Tyler (Lambchop).
***
"No Border": the title of the album itself seems to
wonderfully sum up all that has constituted Thomas
Belhom's inner world for a couple of years.
First discographic step : Amor Belhom Duo. This is
the story of a long lasting friendship between Na∩m
Amor (chorus, violins, guitars, sampler) and Thomas
(drums, percussions, chorus, squeeze-box) - two
French men working in a mystic and inspiring
landscape - Tucson, Arizona - both craving for
carving their groove beyond any style or label
(folk, jazz, blues, improvised music, post rock,
bluegrass, country...). Four chapters including a
live album and a "TΩte α tΩte" with Calexico,
hundreds of concerts on both continents revealed a
peculiar, surprising and inventive duo. The
collaboration ended in 2002.
Moving away from the throes of the bureaucracy and
the fallout from the 9/11 attacks on stateless
people, Thomas decided to return to the nomads'
caravan with his muse, Viva Yazon. Thus Europe
became his ground of predilection again, without
being nostalgic for cactuses and plane graveyards
but saddened to have to leave a many friends.
After "Mobile Home", the EP published by La Grange
α Disques in a passport-shaped case - reflecting
his detestation for the barriers erected between
Humans - Thomas' first solo album "Remedios" was
published in 2004, characterized by its fragile
beauty and by the grace conferred by sincerity and
audacity. Through this album, Thomas shows that he
is not only a talented percussionist but also that
he is excellent at moving listeners with his voice,
his guitar, his melodies.
An album that enables him to go over Europe, and to
share his so personal constructions in live and in
solo, the precarious balance of which and the
choreographies to which they lead their creator on
stage, contribute to the beauty.
Today, whereas some dream of always more hermetic
borders, Thomas Belhom asserts his musician and
world citizen's freedom on a second album recorded
between Munich, London, Nashville and Paris.
" No border" is the travelogue of a musician who
loves encounters and who cannot bear all that
prevent them from happening.
Thus his tightrope walker's melodies have been
enriched with trips and the recordings of numerous
musicians and friends' participation. Stuart
Stapples (Tinkersticks) - accompanied by Thomas on
stage, after he took part to the recording of his
second album "Leaving songs" - sings on the
magnificent "South over the seven hills". You can
also hear Volker Zander (Calexico), who accompanied
Amor Belhom Duo on the double bass at the occasion
of their last tour and Kim Ohio (Mad River) - met
at the time of Witches Valley, who sings along with
Thomas Belhom on three titles. One of the two
instrumental tracks of the album is even composed
and interpreted by Viva Yazon, who is also painter
and from now on Thomas Belhom's wife, accompanied
by Paul Nihaus (Lambchop) and his so characteristic
steel guitar.
If needing and missing somebody too many times are
the leitmotiv of "No Border", Thomas Belhom's
melodies assert themselves by their subtlety, their
lightness sometimes, such as wariness about the
violent evolution of the world. Indeed, if human
beings remain his favourite topic, Thomas can less
and less bear seeing "partout o∙ l'on dort, des
miradors" (anywhere you sleep, watchtowers).
Music like a refuge, between two days of trip.