Stanza IV by Benoît Pioulard

Benoit Pioulard’s Stanza series began in 2015 as a daily method of inward gazing during a particularly dreary Seattle winter. Each morning, with a Telecaster and tape recorder, he would build a gauzy, lo-fi loop in a new tuning, creating improvisations of uniform length as a kind of sonic journal. Stanza I comprised a week’s worth of these hazy experiments, and was initially issued as a limited CD-R to accompany the Sonnet LP (kranky, 2015); Stanza II was recorded that spring, showcasing a more verdant, deep forest fullness; and Stanza III followed as a short run 10” lathe cut, to complement The Benoit Pioulard Listening Matter (kranky, 2016).

In the years since, Pioulard has crafted several renowned collections featuring this uniquely blissed-out tape saturation and ambient grace – including Lignin Poise (Beacon Sound, 2017), Sylva (Morr Music, 2019), and Bloodless (Disques d’Honoré, 2021) – alongside monthly exclusives for his Bandcamp subscribers, and notable collaborations with Rafael Anton Irisarri (as Orcas), Viul, and The Humble Bee. Following the death of his father, the completion of his dream-folk opus Eidetic (Morr Music, 2023), and a collision of personal struggles, Pioulard refocused his musical efforts as a means of meditation, resulting in the long-form movements of Stanza IV.

Since its inception as a set of simple, unadorned guitar works, the Stanza series has grown in scope and complexity, resulting in some of Pioulard’s most deeply layered and striking instrumental pieces. Pressed in a limited edition of 300 copies, this volume is the first in the series to appear on vinyl, and is the tenth release on the artist’s own boutique label, Disques d’Honoré.

Stanza IV is accompanied by an album-length collection of reworks that is as sonically diverse as its roster, which features Markus Guentner, arovane, Clarice Jensen, James Devane, MJ Guider, and Viul. Issued in a run of 100 cassettes with stamped, signed, and hand-painted packaging, it's part of an extra limited edition of the LP that also includes an original Polaroid photo, tote bag, photo zine, exclusive tea blend, and glow-in-the-dark pin.

Plectrums & pictures &c. since 1984.

Let gentleness prevail.

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