The Nuc plus ultra: Catalans in madness, and the Beatles for eternity

In 2015, these three Catalans, crazy about rock'n'roll, released the explosive and joyful Treatise on triolectic guitars (for the use of sandy Portuguese guitars). The busy schedules of the protagonists of this strange and beautiful affair did not allow them to follow up on it before today. The Liminanas play around the world with their stunning blend of French pop, giallo music and psychedelia. As for Comelade, a fascinating explorer of instrumental music, we owe him collections that are not stung by cockchafers. Considering that there is strength in numbers, and given the parallelism of their tastes, the three friends decided to do it again. And it's even better than the first time. The instrumentarium has expanded: piano, electric organs, violin, melodica, cans from Comelade, guitar, bass, cimbalom and theremin from Lionel, who also sings the superb Fin du monde.

Erudite and playful at the same time, this exploration of riff and repetition remains sexy from start to finish, thanks also to the presence of Marie, an exceptional drummer, with a pop sensibility that is never faulted. The guests, from guitarists Xarim Aresté, Lalo Lopez and Ivan Telefunken to musician-filmmaker Marc Hurtado and singer Mark Cunningham, bring their two cents to this quite magical potion. A gypsy-inspired melancholy rubs shoulders with the loosest surrealism. When Marcel Duchamp meets fuzz guitar, the results are quite dazzling. Dreamlike, rhythmic and funny, this album is simply irresistible.

Boom Boom (Because Music).

In 1973, the two compilations 1962-1966 and 1967-1970, better known under the names of the red album and the blue album, re-presented the repertoire of the greatest rock group of all time. Perhaps it was at this moment that this music began to cultivate nostalgia for a bygone time. We were then far from imagining that the four from Liverpool, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr would still be doing the event in 2023. However, and despite the disappearance of Lennon and Harrison, the group has just released a currently top-selling single, Now and Then. Or a tinkering with a demo recorded roughly by Lennon in 1977 on his piano, and enhanced with parts of the other 3 in 1995 and 2022, with a little help from artificial intelligence. And this composition, far from being unworthy, allows the two compilations from fifty years ago to emerge, with additional songs and improved sound.

There is everything the average Beatles tourist would want to own here. That’s 6 albums filled with solid gold hits. A selection closed by Now and Then, the Fab Four's final production. At 81, Paul McCartney closes the long chapter of an adventure that changed the course of music. It's funny that these two albums are being re-released when longtime competitors, the Rolling Stones, have just released their first original songs in 18 years. A trip through the shelves of record stores would almost make you believe that we are back in 1966!

1962-1966, 1967-1970; a 6 LP box set or a 4 Cd box set (Apple Music/Universal)