So, as I promised, here is the new Benoît Pioulard album, Lasted. I first got to know of Pioulard (real name: Thomas Meluch) from a friend of mine who gave me a copy of his debut LP for Kranky, Précis. Since then, he released his sophomore album, Temper, and while it was still a good record, it didn't capture my imagination in the same way Précis did. Lasted sees, in my opinion, Pioulard's return to form; the record is 40 minutes long, in my opinion the perfect length for an album; long enough to sustain its main themes but not so long as to alienate and bore the listener. Stand-out tracks here include 'RTO,' 'Shouting Distance' and 'Ailleurs.' This looks to be a contender for my album of the year, or at the very least a top 5 of 2010 record. Get this, now.
