M A R

10AM. Mono by the trio M A R is an atypical album. While the voice of the French-Canadian artist Ira Lee anchors it in the hip-hop genre, the dense and rich orchestrations of Grégoire Orio (As Human Pattern, La Nòvia) & Julien Magot (Appalache) give it a peculiar identity. 10 tracks conceived as almost as many climaxes, where one crosses as many borders. A richness of tones multiplied by the presence of distinguished guests such as Jean-Michel Pirès (Bruit Noir, Numbers Not Names) who's playing on most of the material, but also Stéphane Pigneul (Oiseaux-Tempête, Le Reveil des Tropiques), and Jacques Puech from La Nòvia on Razzle Dazzle. An intense instrumental road-trip that mirrors the message : words loaded with a sharp cynicism and heavy lucidity. Even if some of the tracks take on a more quirky tone (Smoke In A Benz, Ouch), the Montrealer uses the space he's given as a platform for strong social themes such as education or the animal cause (4.30 AM, OK! Cannibals), or questions our relationship with diversity on closing Black Girl Summer. An uncompromising record and anything but monolithic.