Joseph Marchand - Treize miniatures (2025) Hi-Res

Joseph Marchand first ventured out on his own in 2021 with his project Joseph Mihalcean (his birth name). Now, he presents his first album of guitar compositions. This doesn't mean he doesn't sing at all, however. He lends his voice to two tracks and invites friends like Klô Pelgag, Safia Nolin, Marie-Pierre Arthur, and Velours Velours to sing on some of the songs. The guitar remains central to the creations, and it shows.

I would place Treize miniatures in the same category as the works of Jean-Michel Blais, Flore Laurentienne, or Alexandra Stréliski. Even though Joseph Marchand plays guitar rather than piano, he offers instrumental textures that tell stories and create atmospheres conducive to the heightened emotions. The best example of this talent is certainly the magnificent 60 rue Maude, on which François Lafontaine's synthesizers beautifully complement the guitar motif.

At the album launch as part of CCF, Klô Pelgag joked that Joseph Marchand had covered the EP *Sieste sur l’oreille droite*, which they had made together with Samuel Gougoux. The remark wasn't insignificant, as three of those tracks find new life on Marchand's album. Two are instrumentals, *Couleur préférée II* and *Déjeuner sur l’herbe II*, and one features Klô Pelgag once again, *Kiwi II*. The track is touching and filled with love. The feelings expressed in the lyrics are magnified by the strings of Mélanie Bélair, Chantal Bergeron, Ligia Paquin, Anne Gadbois, and Jean-Christophe Lizotte.

When it came time to put words to his songs, Joseph Marchand was able to rely on the pen of Stéphane Lafleur, who had worked with him on *Au début du soleil* and *Je nous veux du bien*. The result is undeniably poetic, with a beautifully painted backdrop.

When Joseph Marchand titled the album Thirteen Miniatures, he was acknowledging that most of the tracks are short pieces. This is certainly true of the surprising "L'avenir," featuring Velours Velours, Safia Nolin, and Marie-Pierre Arthur. One sometimes finds oneself hoping for more of these short, successful pieces, which pass by in the blink of an eye. As if by chance, the moments that hold the most attention are the longer, more musically richer pieces.

Joseph Marchand has delivered a truly beautiful album that will please those who have enjoyed the work of other instrumental composers (whom I mentioned earlier). There's something similar about it that makes us hope he'll give us more of these miniatures.