In 2003, Benoît Burello was last referred to as the producer of an album, Spacebox, second item of his project, Bed, released after The Newton Plum, which had, obviously definitively reinforced his status- by the way, rather enviable- of “French Mark Hollis (or Robert Wyatt)”. 　　 　　Today, he is back, on a much different field. From the title, to the group portrait of his cover and to the gripping landscapes pictures (by Ellie Jorrand) of the booklet, one can feel that, with New Lines, his third record released by Ici d’Ailleurs, Bed has taken an astonishing curve. This can be confirmed from the very first bars of the breathless track Newsprint, a crazy race over melodic hurdles… Even Bloc Party could take a leaf out of this book: By leaving aside his deeply moving and delicate chamber Rock, Bed- like an overflowing river- has literally cleared off… 　　 　　Indeed, has Benoît Burello surrounded himself with his trusty brothers in arms- The guitar player, Olivier Mellano, the phenomenal drum player Jean Michel Pires (the Married Monk, Headphone, yann Tiersen) and also Yann Louineau (who played the guitar on The Newton Plum, and who is here, a joint signatory to all the lyrics) - but in this team, he has also, given a place to two musicians (drum players Thierry Chompré and Nicolas Courret) so as to make out of Bed a real band. Surrounded in that way, Burello has been able to speed up the pace, and open up his self new vistas to produce an album one could see as a frantic Rock album, if only the word could convey the measure of such a subtly elaborate pop music. 　　 　　“I have the feeling that Bed is nothing but this” states Burello who has never been seen so proud of any record of his. And he’s got something to be proud about. It’s true; New Lines radiates a “drive” effect, an amazing dynamic power, whether one is following the long mesmerizing Neu’s-furious-Krautrock-like tunnels ( on Newsprint, on A new start) or flowing with labyrinthine melodies which either, evoke, the multifaceted pop music of The Notwist (Into the void and its implacable bass line ), or the unflagging modulations of XTC (Midsummer Night Song), or the harmonic illuminations of Pinback… The last image we had of Benoît Burello, was one of a “Jansenist”, his new image is close to hedonism, obviously, quite far from Mark Hollis or Robert Wyatt. 　　 　　But nevertheless, even though, Bed’s intention has become more direct and snappier, Benoît Burello remains faithful to his ambitions. The achievement of New Lines (recorded at Burello’s Plumpike studio, in Montreuil, Drums recorded at Cocoon Studio in Rennes, mix by Rudy Coclet at Rising Sun Studio), shows perfectionism, and reveals a strong and quite staggering desire for sound research: behind the omnipresent percussions (most of the tracks include an average of one bass drum, doubled by two bass toms, and nothing less than three snare drums!), the arrangements are as subtle as the uneven rhythms and harmonic progressions which have the knack of carrying the listener to places he (she) expects the less… For instance, who could have guessed that , on Newsprint, the first guitar appears only after more than two minutes (the bass guitar, as well as the twisted lines are all played on saturated piano) ? Bed could have also been named Polyphonic Youth… 　　 　　Because it conveys an infectious desire for converting France to these illuminated melodies of which, XTC and the High Llamas have the secret, sometimes, even allowing itself loan words from Marvin Gaye’s sexual healing, New Lines says it loud: Benoît Burello is, in every sense of the word, a major musician. 　　 　　David Sanson