Benoit Pioulard
Biography
Thomas Meluch, under the moniker of Benoit Pioulard, began recording his own work on dictaphones and four track recorders when he was in his teens. His experimental form of folk was initially something he shared with just friends and family via the medium of cassettes and CDRs. After being featured on a compilation by Moongadget recordings in 2004 and releasing his own EP Enge in 2005, Meluch was signed to Kranky to release his first full length LP Precis, which went on to receive huge critical acclaim and was included in a number of end of year 'best of ' lists.
By assembling various analogue sources on basic software at home, Pioulard honed his craft into a form that suggests something far grander. With soft-edged vocals and a broad palette of instruments that lately includes harmonium and cello, he constructs diverse arrangements that skirt the borders of pop with beautiful, detailed atmospheres. His latest full-length release on Kranky, Temper, shows Pioulard at his very best.