November starts with a bang with the release of the live album La Cigale by Détroit, the post Noir Désir band fronted by Bertrand Cantat and assisted by Pascal Humbert.
It follows their Horizons debut studio collection, an album that was met with critical and commercial acclaim when it came out in November 2013, accompanied with the complicated moral issues surrounding the fact that Cantat is a convicted murderer.
It remains almost impossible to see past the elephant in the room with regard any assessment of Cantat's contemporary work, but the fact remains that with songs like this - a NoirDez classic - and a band that sounds an incredible live proposition it's as good as anything produced by Cantat at his best.
But there will always be a shadow over Cantat. He may have served his time, he may be humble and contrite, but there will always be a feeling of discomfort surrounding his work.
That being said, Horizons was a powerful and poetic work, and he remains a consummate live performer.
The new live collection, from what I've heard and seen so far looks an extraordinary document of a band at their peak and an artist perhaps unexpectedly making music that remains as powerful as it ever was.
If only history had been different.
The collection is released as a limited edition 2 CD and DVD, as a 2 CD, a DVD and bluray or as a 2 LP vinyl.
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