Various Artists

Pathway To Paris: Live at Le Trianon

BY Anna AlgerPublished Sep 21, 2016

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Last November, during the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, two benefit concerts were held at Le Trianon, featuring the likes of Thom Yorke, Patti Smith and Flea. Notable environmentalists such as Bill McKibben and Naomi Klein spoke during the hopeful evenings. It was all documented, and now released, in the form of Pathway To Paris: Live at Le Trianon, which seeks to capture the feeling of those nights (with proceeds going to 350.org and the United Nations Development Program).
 
A stripped-back rendition of Patti Smith's "Wing" opens the album. Calming and meditative, it sets the tone for the record. Experimentation abounds, heard in Warren Ellis and Flea's jamming on "White Nile," and a gorgeous solo arrangement by Thom Yorke of Radiohead track "Bloom." Smith returns to lead the other musicians and speakers in a rousing performance of "People Have the Power," the audience's enthusiasm heard clearly.
 
Words of strength and perseverance come from Bill McKibben and Naomi Klein, critical of the lack of political action to fight climate change. Although the album falls short of capturing the full range of emotions that come with attending such thought-provoking, important events, it does summarize what an important battle the fight against climate change is — set against the backdrop of strong, beautiful music.
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