Following about a dozen combined albums and EPs, including some for the Front Porch label, Montreal-based indie musician
Cedric Noel makes his Joyful Noise Recordings debut with
Hang Time. A typically self-producing artist who is as likely to collaborate as not, he was born in Niger, adopted by multinational, multiracial parents, and raised on five different continents before putting down roots in Canada while attending college. His background, notions of identity and belonging, and the state of things all factor into the mercurial and personal
Hang Time. It was produced and recorded by
Noel and engineer
Steve Newton. Midway through the 13-track set, the gentle reflection "Born" delves into the emotional reality of adoption with a warm palette comprising instruments like piano, acoustic guitar, and vibraphone before fading out on a dissonant weave of what sounds like bowed and prepared guitar and electronic noise. Before that,
Noel's repeated melodic hook cycles through thoughts where gratitude ("When I was born, I was thrown in the best way/Away from home, right into the best place"), guilt ("Was it my place to take?"), and alienation co-exist ("When I was born, I was thrown in the worst-case scenario/And now I can't find my space"). Tracks including "Stilling" and "Nighttime (Skin)" reveal a '90s alternative influence, with lush, churning guitars and a more assertive disposition, but they never part with the album's contemplative state. Other musical changes of pace include the spare "Bass Song," a duet with
Ella Williams (
Squirrel Flower), the melodic campfire singalong "Dove" with
Brigitte Naggar (
Common Holly), and "Allies" ("Are you on my side?"), which gathers acoustic singer/songwriter fare,
Malcolm X speech clips, and confrontational guitar distortion. At once ambitious and elemental -- with its singsong melodic tendencies and repeated lyrics ("Keep" consists solely of the phrases "Keep it together, keep losing yourself," for one) -- it's an album that feels like a deep, late-night get-to-know-you, and by extension serves as an excellent entry point to a creator a decade into his recording career. ~ Marcy Donelson