Yoo II avec Nolan Potter - Yoo Doo Right, Population II, and Nolan Potter
Mothland/The Reverberation Appreciation Society
Released on September 12th, 2025
Navigating the music industry can sometimes feel like an expedition, where every opportunity to find good recording conditions and analog gear serves the fight for survival. The road can sometimes be unforgiving and when it comes to certain things in life, you only get one chance. You must be ready for any hit-or-miss moments. The new album Yoo II avec Nolan Potter is the result of one of those moments. Released on Mothland and The Reverberation Appreciation Society, this live recording could easily have remained a well-kept secret and never seen the light of day. However, it was the buzz of the SXSW festival, the fatigue of playing from venue to venue, a gathering at a local Austin bar, the long journey, the sunshine and the booze that all led to this gem of improvised improvisation. “There was a serious energy in the room, everyone played with extreme intention and determination.” recalls the composer, musical director, and multi-instrumental virtuoso Nolan Potter about the album. With just a few notes, you can tell that something special is about to happen.
For Yoo Doo Right and Population II, who were both nominated for the Polaris Prize this year, releasing an improvised live album was the next logical step. It’s an inevitable quest for any great psychedelic or krautrock band. Think of Minami Deutsch & Damo Susuki performing live at Roadburn, 10 000 Russos performing live in Berlin or the Levitation sessions of SLIFT, A Place To Bury Strangers, Moon Duo and Acid Mothers Temple. You could go back even further to Pink Floyd at Pompeii, Tangerine Dream at der Palast der Republik GDR or the CAN live performance series. With the addition of multi-instrumentalist Nolan Potter (flute, saxophone, percussion, 12-string acoustic guitar, electric guitar & organ), the two Montreal-based bands can now reveal their true colours and spontaneous nature. The track “Cavalier (We’re Going Down)” is a muscular introduction, tainted with the heroic krautrock style of Yoo Doo Right, their love for CAN and the restless guerilla spirit of guitarist Justin Cober. Although Nolan Potter admitted that he doesn't play the saxophone very well (he performed with it in front of a crowd for the first time during the Montreal show), his contribution to the track is a clear nod to the electric era of Miles Davis, adding a smooth free jazz vibe to the robust motorik drums. Ignorance is bliss, especially when you improvise. Hearing John Talbot and Pierre-Luc Gratton play mechanically in sync on drums also brings to mind John Dwyer and Thee Oh Sees, a significant influence to the whole crew.
The second track, “Golfe du Mexique”, takes a more meditative feel. The addition of the flute creates an atmosphere reminiscent of Popol Vuh and Herzog's film Aguirre, the Wrath of God. If Herzog’s film depicts a group of Spanish conquistadors, the album itself is loosely based on the story of René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, a doomed French explorer whose journey in the 17th century ties the Great Lakes region, Quebec and Texas all together. Bear in mind that the album was recorded in March, when the idea of colonising Canada and turning it into a 51st state was in the air. Hence the track “Ralliement”, with its cryptic French lyrics, inviting you to synchronise with your group, respond to your surroundings and, above all, trust your tribe. With the three guitarists, Nolan Potter, Justin Cober and Tristan Lacombe, also alternating with synthesisers and organs, it’s hard to guess who’s playing what at this point. This is genuine community chaos! The two final tracks on the album, “La Perla” and “Z. (The Alley Watcher)”, are a funky and progressive psychedelic rock jam that is reminiscent of Population II. The distinctive 8-string bass tone groove from Sébastien Provencal is easily recognisable. True to the spirit of their experimental EP Mulchulation II (with Rose Cormier, who also designed the album cover), this album feels like pure telepathy between the bands, a reminder that the best expeditions are often born out of chance, as if possessed by a collective instinct. Who else is with me?
Population II is currently on tour with Frankie and the Witch Fingers, opening at Lee’s Palace (Toronto) on October 7 and Les Foufounes Électriques (Montreal) on October 8. You can also catch their performance during the Polaris concert and award ceremony here.
Yoo Doo Right will play at the legendary Le Guess Who? festival on November 7.
Nolan Potter, “The Tyrant,” released Two Songs from Nolan Potter last July and the improvised album Nightmare Egg last May. He also recently contributed to the UK-based Library of the Occult label on the collaborative cinematic album Una Rosa nel Giardino d’Inverno: Il Ritorno (A Rose in the Garden of Winter: The Return).
