Reuben Hollebon is a songwriter from Norfolk, England. Growing up by

the diminishing coast, the child of two social workers, Reuben

remembers a youth spent pedaling bicycles out to the sea, and exploring

the land and people around him. “This is where a lot of my songs come

from,” he says. “They are stories that revolve around that life.”

His debut album will be titled Terminal Nostalgia; a reflection of his

past, but also a warning note that life should be about now, not only

something to carve into a remembrance. The album is colored by his

discovery of music as an outlet, and attempts to capture an approach that

is at once experimental and accessible, whilst also intense and intimate. 

Several of the LP's songs center around friends and family, including the

powerful “We’re Gonna Miss Us (When We’re Gone)”, a grief-stricken

dirge with spectral horns that tells of the story of someone close as

dementia begins to set in. Album opener “Haystacks” draws from a true

folk story of a boy whose mischief preceded a darker turn in his life.

Whilst “Common Table” strikes a hopeful note, imagining a good ending

for us all, "When the dust is made of us, we'll take a boat and head out to

the water.”

Largely self-produced, Terminal Nostalgia is a collection of deeply

personal stories told with raw, tremulous vocals. The soundscape takes

influence from Reuben’s time as a recording engineer for several well-

known acts including Basement Jaxx, Courtney Barnett and The London

Symphony Orchestra.

Reuben’s musical ideas are kept in reams of notebooks stacked in the

corners, waiting to be shaped into a finished product over minutes or days

in the studio. He takes great care to ensure that whatever instrumentation

is added to each song is done to amplify and support those original

ideas. “I’ll have the vocal and accompaniment down, and I’ll ask myself

what I want to hear in terms of rhythm and texture, then choose an

instrument to fill that role.”

The result is a singular and soulful collection of songs that resonate

together, but can just as easily stand on their own. Each song draws its

distinct pace and personality from percussion, carefully considered

instrumentation, and subtle use of electronics. Above all, the album taken

as a whole reveals a man with an uncompromising resolve to connect

with his audience.

Joseph Arthur (Lonely Astronaut Records / US) : Comment décrire Joseph Arthur à ceux qui ne l’ont jamais vu sur scène ? On pourrait parler d’un ange déchu ou maudit, d’un sorcier new-yorkais, d’un artiste animal, qui avec une guitare et un micro, construit « en live » de véritables nappes sonores tourbillonnantes et envoûtantes… Mais qui laisse aussi la place à des morceaux dépouillés, sans artifice, habités uniquement par la voix du chanteur qui semble mettre à nu son passé. Découvert par Peter Gabriel au milieu des années ’90, Joseph Arthur tire son inspiration de Leonard Cohen, Joe Henry ou Jeff Buckley.