Dag Rosenqvist & Rutger Zuydervelt - Vintermusik (self release, 2006)

Dag Rosenqvist et Rutger Zuydervelt, deux noms qui peuvent intriguer. Il s’agit là des vrais noms d’artistes plus connus respectivement sous les noms de projets Jasper TX et MachineFabriek, tout deux ayant sortis des albums sur Lampse et tout deux ayant déjà fait l’objet d’articles sur ces pages. Pas de label derrière cet album, il s’agit juste d’un CD-R de plus dans l’immense discographie de MachineFabriek, limité à 200 exemplaires.

Présenté comme la bande son de l’hiver passé avec six pièces composées autour de cette thématique, ce sera pour nous l’occasion de rafraîchir notre été (si le besoin se faisait sentir). Histoire de se mettre dans le bain, l’album débute avec une pièce de 13 minutes de pure ambient. Mais dans le genre, on fait guère mieux !! Notes répétitives hypnotiques, lente montée du volume, sonorités qui se décomposent et fusionnent tout en gardant leur identité propre, impression de fourmillement, mouvements denses, impression d’être immergé dans le son. Des field recordings doivent être de la partie, apportant micro-bruitages, grésillements, frétillements. On n’est pas très loin du meilleur de Biosphere, si ce n’est mieux.
Difficile d’attribuer telle composante à tel ou tel artiste, Rosenqvist et Zuydervelt oeuvrant à peu près dans le même registre, à savoir les guitares traitées au profit de musiques ambient. Justement, les guitares on les trouve très présentes, mais noyées, sur Gräs Som Bryts Och Går Av : accords réguliers, répétitifs, grosse réverb, cela fonctionne mais reste anodin. On préférera ce son proche de la harpe, les chuintements rythmiques, l’abondance de bruitages, et la profondeur des basses de Blåsa Rök ou la violence des textures granuleuses et la gravité des drones de Ljus I November même si le long passage au piano et voix d’enfants lui fait perdre de sa force. Comme il a commencé, l’album se termine avec une pièce de près de 13mn d’ambient polaire à base de drones de guitare, quelque peu réchauffés par des choeurs variés flirtant avec les chants traditionnels scandinaves.

Le tout prend place dans un joli packaging, carton plié en deux rangé dans une pochette plastique. Bel objet, sublime musique.

Fabrice Allard
Etherreal, le 25/07/2007

To close the week I’m bringing in a couple of guys from a territory that knows a lot about winter. Dag Rosenqvist and Rutger Zuydervelt are both veterans of the worldwide ambient scene, Rosenqvist being the guy behind Jasper TX and Zuydervelt of Machinefabriek. Together, they’ve created an album whose glacial tones are reflected in its stark, self-explanatory name: Vintermusik. The most impressive thing about this collaboration, to me, is the sonic depth it possesses. The duo’s songs have a habit of building achingly slowly until they reach a rumbling stasis, forever on the edge of overflowing the cups of your headphones. Haphazard guitar strumming drifts up out of the depths of the white noise, its faint signal growing stronger at an infinitesimal rate. This is, essentially, the sound of watching ice form.

Vintermusik is a limited release of only 200 copies, so if you like the sample below, you’d better get on it with the quickness. Previously you could get your CD lovingly hand-mailed by Mr. Rosenqvist, but unfortunately those sold out.

Girlpants

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Machinefabriek - Stottermuziek (self release, 2006)

1 Fluister (4:16)
2 Donderwolk (3:18)
3 Onweer (3:54)
4 Maris (3:22)
5 Wintervacht (7:25)

Voyage crépusculaire dans le rêve sonore des drones de Machinefabriek. La musique dérive, se met en place morceau après morceau, pour se conclure par Wintervacht, drone évoquant les vagues noires des nuages hivernaux...

Super limited, self released ep from one of our favorite proponents of what we've decided to call fuzzy dreamdrone soft noise. Well, actually, we only decided to call it that just now, but it does describe the sound of Machinefabriek perfectly, as well as his Lampse labelmates Jasper TX and Gultskra Artikler, all of whom traffic in similar droney drift...
On Stottermuziek, Machinefabriek explores similar territory as on his AQ record of the week Marjin from back in May. A dark dreamlike journey through a swirling soundworld of minimal whir and hum, shimmer and sparkle. Super soft shuffling swells of barely there sound, bits of hiss and whirring white noise surfacing here and there, strings woven into soft smears of sound, crumbling slightly distorted melodies drifting to and fro like some alien sonic tide, buzzing steel strings over a muted distant percussive throb, all delicately arranged into a gorgeous soft focus sonic landscape.

Aquarius Records

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Marsen Jules - Les Fleurs (City Centre Offices, 2006)

1 Œillet Sauvage (6:13)
2 La Digitale Pourpre (4:42)
3 Coeur Saignant (4:33)
4 Datura (6:24)
5 Anémone (3:51)
6 Gueule De Loup (6:13)
7 Coquelicot (5:25)
8 Œillet En Delta (14:30)

Le prolifique Marsen Jules continue de développer son oeuvre en donnant une suite au formidable Herbstlaub, son premier album paru en 2005 sur City-Centre-Offices après les 2 albums mis en ligne par le netlabel Autoplate.

Si Marsen Jules se plait à prêter une connotation francophile à ce nouvel album baptisé Les Fleurs sur lequel les 8 morceaux portent un nom... De fleurs en français, c’est probablement par référence à une certaine esthétique inspirée par le début du siècle, car on imagine aisément que l’allemand ait été marqué par l’œuvre de poètes romantiques et d’Eric Satie. On retrouve ici cette même propension à tendre vers l’abstraction, à tisser des mélodies contemplatives qui incitent à l’oisiveté et la méditation, à la divagation des pensées, à l’apesanteur de l’âme. La musique de Marsen Jules s’étire au gré des vagues doucement mélancoliques extraites de son laptop et d’une guitare gentiment triturée, juste accompagnées sporadiquement de quelques notes de harpes célestes. Encore plus éthérés que ses précédents albums, Les Fleurs permet à l’allemand de s’affranchir un peu plus encore du format pour se concentrer sur les ambiances. A écouter dans le calme le plus absolu, le coeur ouvert et la raison en vacance.

Autres Directions in Music

Following on from the shrouded autumn loveliness of Marsen Jules' debut album 'Herbstlaub', second album 'Les Fleurs' now finds the artist throwing open the windows and welcoming in the scent of spring. Opening through the beautiful chimes of 'Aeillet Sauvage', Jules allows a diffused soundscape to slowly bloom - enveloping the listener in a miasma of creamy vibraphone-bruised resonance that is neither overpowering nor sleight. Bolstered by the introduction of genuine instrumentation, Jules seems to have discovered a more outlandish side to his personality, with the thrumming percussion of 'La Digitale Poupre' and sonorous bass of 'Coquelicot' both exhibiting a more pronounced willingness to firm up the tacit reference points in his work. Whilst comparisons can be readily drawn with the likes of Harold Budd, Max Richter, Avro Part and even William Basinski, Marsen Jules is nonetheless utterly unique - mixing his evident love of skewed compositions with a real ear for melody. The aural equivalent of catching sight of something on a sunny day from the corner of your eye, 'Les Fleurs' shreds its source material then scatters it to the wind - creating a sound that is at once calming without becoming soporific or exhilarating without veering towards the breathless. Managing to introduce lashing of strings for 'Coeur Saignant' and not call upon the clichéd notions of cheap orchestration or dreaded 'soundtrack to an imagery film...' reference, Jules demands a wider audience for his work than the more closed-gate aspects of the leftfield sometimes allow, closing the album with 'Aeillet En Delta' wherein a honeyed breed of blunted ambience brings down the curtain in considerable style. If the summer is half as good as this musical spring, we're in for a scorcher. Essential purchase.

Boomkat

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Krill.Minima - Nautica (Native State Records, 2007)

1 Submarine Poetry (7:34)
2 Nautica (7:08)
3 Octopus And Sextant (6:59)
4 The Escargot's Dream (5:32)
5 Princess Of The Undersea Gardens (8:33)
6 Kalmar (5:47)
7 The Sea Horse And The Soft Coral (7:04)
8 Surface From The Groundless Oceans (8:25)

poésie dub ambient sous marine....

Native State proudly presents ‘Nautica’, the first CD release of well known German recording artist Martin Juhls, aka krill.minima. Already known from his numerous release on Native State, Aleph Zero, and Thinner, he has also received considerable international acclaim under his Marsen Jules alias. His first CD release is an ambient journey of deep aquatic worlds and otherworldly atmospheres underscored by a sophisticated minimalist approach to beat production and sound design which will appeal to fans of Brian Eno, Basic Channel, and the Native State take on digital downtempo music.

Native State Records

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Sylvain Chauveau - Le Livre Noir du Capitalisme (Noise Museum, 2000)

Et Peu À Peu Les Flots Respiraient Comme On Pleure (3:28)
JLG (2:10)
Hurlements En Faveur De Serge T. (2:54)
Le Marin Rejeté Par La Mer (3:39)
Dernière Étape Avant Le Silence (4:51)
Dialogues Avec Le Vent (3:37)
Ses Mains Tremblent Encore (1:58)
Ma Contribution À L'industrie Phonographique (2:47)
Géographie Intime (5:33)
Je Suis Vivant Et Vous Êtes Morts (6:42)
Mon Royaume (2:46)
Potlatch (1971-1999) (1:58)
Un Souffle Remua La Nuit (2:33)

Sylvain Chauveau est toulousain et "Le livre noir du capitalisme" est son premier album solo, il est aussi ce jeune homme actif qui officie dans deux groupes, Micro:Mega et Arca. "Il est conseillé d'écouter ce disque à faible volume" et "A tous ceux que j'ai un jour détesté. Je n'ai pas oublié"... voici les seuls messages à titre indicatif qui sont inscrits sur la pochette. La rancœur d'un musicien philanthrope ?! Ce disque est très beau, il possède une véritable chaleur humaine, une pureté mélodieuse qui s'allonge tout au long de sa douleur, face aux dérives d'un monde voué à l'échec. Dans les chansons de Sylvain Chauveau, nous sommes protégés, à l'intérieur, et notre regard se fixe au dehors, vers cet ailleurs incertain, où il fait froid.

La musique chante des notes ouvertes vers la beauté affable et lyrique, et son épure orchestrale amplifie la profondeur. Les mélodies sont dépouillées et leur reflet provoque une sensation de bien être et d'osmose lascive... une réflexion sur une possible reconstruction sur les ruines encore fumantes de ce capitalisme sombre. Et puis il y a un goût pour les titres à la sublime poésie, tels que : "Et peu à peu les flots respiraient comme on pleure", "Dernière étape avant le silence", "Un souffle remua la nuit".

Sylvain l'enchanteur accorde à ses délicates sonorités le sens enfoui de trésors perdus ou gâchés. L'échec d'un monde pourtant si beau à l'origine et c'est de son aurore musicale que se donne ici à écouter, à contempler, le délice de sa création. Des pièces musicales à la nature méditative, aussi concises que peut l'être la vie et dont la douceur mélancolique répand un relâchement instinctif. "J'essaie de composer la musique que j'ai toujours rêvé d'entendre chez les autres et que je n'ai jamais entendue...". C'est vrai et c'est très beau, très très beau. (samedi 19 octobre 2002)

The French Touch

Sylvain Chauveau is one of those artists we hear mentioned a great deal, yet he has proven strangely elusive when it comes to tracking down his work. Best known (and easiest to get hold of) is his seminal Fat Cat album 'Un Autre Decembre' which set him up as one of the world's premier exponents of the electronic/classical sound, but Sylvain had already been releasing records long before that album hit the shelves. 'The Black Book of Capitalism' originally appeared in 2000 on the French DSA imprint and sadly never hit UK shores, but Type (Sylvain's new base of operations) have managed to put together a gloriously remastered and repackaged version for the wider world to hear at last. Those of you who have been enamoured with the artist's stark, minimal sound might be shocked at first to hear the variety on offer; 'The Black Book of Capitalism' is far from a mere classical record, and shows a breadth of sound never again seen in Sylvain's catalogue to date. From the mournful, delicate piano-work of 'Et Peu a Peu les Flots...' we are transported through a veritable sideshow of gallic musical expertise, with the doomy almost Bohren-esque jazz of 'Hurlements en Favour de Serge T.' and through a chiming fairytale with 'Derniere Etape avant le Silence'. There are almost traces of Angelo Badalamenti's work lost in the grooves here, with the gauzy world of European cinema seeping from every crack and punctuating Sylvain's compositions with both confidence and a deft humour. It might be over eight years old now but nothing of the album has been lost with time, it has matured with age, showing new depths and character with every year that has gone by. With 'The Black Book of Capitalism' Sylvain delivered his most widescreen work so far and it's an absolute pleasure to be able to hear it again in all its glory. Highly Recommended - Limited copies!

Boomkat (reissue by Type Records)

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Solo Andata - Fyris Swan (Hefty Records, 2006)

pour la muse dont l'oreille a accroché au téléphone....

Her Face Soft As Sleep (5:17)
Old City Crowd (7:36)
The Echo's Left Behind (5:48)
A Ballet Of Hands (5:57)
Among The Olive Trees (5:55)
Beneath This Stone Wall (5:16)
Coastal Road Thoughts (6:54)
Dawn Chorus (7:08)
Together Apart (5:31)
Midnight (6:50)

Savant mariage ambient de paysages électro-acoustiques....

Partially dissolved, dreamy and textural are all good ways to describe the music of Solo Andata. Because of that, the screened and slightly hazy cover art on their debut album Fyris Swan seems rather fitting. Before it met with digital technology, the music of this duo might have been some some sparse thing that touched on both folk and jazz, but post computer it's a meandering wash of work that glints with melody.

Although the two members of the group met in person and started creating music while both living in Australia, one of them moved to Sweden. Their project continued, though, as the two passed files across the internet, and this ten track, hourlong journey is the result. "Her Face As Soft As Sleep" opens the disc, and some pretty acoustic guitar and hums of melodica are swathed in heady washes of soft sound. "The Echo's Left Behind" brings some horns into the mix, but again time passes in some sort of narcotic haze as lush layers of plucked strings, a scratchy, fractured beat, and more melodica layer on top of one another in interesting ways.

When the group is at their best, they churn out cinematic sounds that are hard to deny. "A Ballet Of Hands" builds with more nice acoustic guitar and horns, as clipped samples of insect percussion and more string plucks build in the background and propel the song forward like some sort of late night firefly lullaby. The duo has a great ear for sound, and while the release doesn't really show off any real dynamic moments in terms of huge rises or falls, it's about as steady as they come. Tracks like "Among The Olive Trees" play out for six minutes, but at the same time feel like they could easily go on longer with no real problem, as circular instrumentation and very gradual layering and production slowly reveal and highlight new elements in the mix. Slightly more focused than Mountains or Tape, and slightly less dark that The Gentleman Losers, Solo Andata have created an ambient album of seriously heady nighttime music that's sort of like an aural equivalent of melatonin. Sleep tight.

Almost Cool Music Reviews

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Steven R. Smith - Tableland (Emperor Jones, 2001)

Tableland (16:25)
Blood Partridges (6:07)
A Celebration (4:10)
Caprock And Shelf (5:24)
Glade (2:47)

Le premier morceau d'un quart d'heure s'écoule comme un long flot zen de guitare, piano et harmonica, le reste de l'album sonne comme les morceaux psyché de Roy Montgomery (on va en mettre bientôt), tandis que Caprock and Shelf ressemble à une bo d'Ennio Morricone tournant au drone.

Steven R. Smith speaks in a language that hasn't been explored to death already. He's one of the few artists making instrumental music who isn't traveling familiar paths.

Emperor Jones

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Peter Broderick - Float (Type Records, 2007)

A Snowflake (3:25)
Floating/Sinking (4:08)
A Glacier (3:17)
A Simple Reminder (1:15)
Stopping On The Broadway Bridge (7:28)
Another Glacier (3:51)
Something Has Changed (2:23)
Broken Patterns (3:32)
An Ending (4:29)
A Beginning (1:57)

L'an passé, à la demande des danois d'Efterklang qui avaient formulé le souhait de le voir arpenter les routes avec eux, le jeune Peter Broderick a plaqué Portland pour Copenhague. Et pour l'avoir aperçu et apprécié sur scène à l'occasion de cette tournée commune, l'annonce d'un album laissait augurer de belles choses dans la sphère largement fréquentée du néo-classique.
Se situant dans le prolongement direct d'un single et d'un mini-album annonciateurs, Float fait montre d'une unité de ton liée d'une part à la récurrence de thèmes mélodiques, d'autre part à l'omniprésence de cordes (piano, violon et violoncelle pour l'essentiel) qui s'expriment dans un vocabulaire et une grammaire que l'on croyait jusqu'alors être l'exclusivité de Sylvain Chauveau ou Max Richter.
Comme chez ces maîtres du genre, l'humeur générale est à la mélancolie contemplative, la surcharge sonore est prohibée, ce qui n'empêche nullement aux cordes maîtresses d'accueillir des voix (les intonations du double-mixte vocal sur A glacier et Another glacier ne sont pas sans évoquer The Dead Texan), de s'acoquiner de quelques triturages numériques, de prendre de l'étoffe de manière ascensionnelle sous l'impulsion d'une batterie et d'un banjo (Broken patterns), ou de venir s'enrichir d'un supplément de matière organique sous la forme d'une instrumentation discrète et variée (célesta, Theremin, scie musicale, banjo, etc...). Une palette aux variations subtiles que la longue pièce centrale Stopping on the Broadway bridge pourrait à elle seule résumer, avec ses pensées évasives de piano automnal momentanément interrompues par un tandem de drones et sostenuto de cordes émaillé d'une touche de banjo et célesta.
Même si Float se situe un cran en deçà des oeuvres du grand Max, il constitue la preuve irréfutable d'une belle maîtrise du sujet de la part de son auteur (surtout si l'on prend en ligne de compte ses seulement 21 ans).
(8.5)
Sébastien Radiguet, Ondefixe


After a bit of a break the Type label return with this long awaited album from the enigmatic Peter Broderick, an artist who has already been courted by more high profile labels than we care to mention. By the time you'll have finished playing through this incredible album once you'll already feel like you've somehow known this music all your life. Broderick has an inimitable ability to score work that's both technically complex and effortlessly archetypal, so much so that listening to it now im convinced I've heard this music in films, adverts, documentaries - I just can't place exactly where or when. Piano, violins, cello, drums, banjo and guitar take centre stage, painting intimate pictures with that same widescreen quality that so many of you have loved about the likes of Max Richter, Johan Johannsson, Harold Budd, Alberto Iglesias or Michael Nyman - but Broderick makes more than just a pretty sound, his composition barely believable for a man of his age (incredibly, this guy is just 21 years old), his arrangements handled with a kind of masterly self assurance that's so often lacking with this sort of music. There's enough substance to offset the pastoral beauty of the music, enough uncertainty to keep proceedings from turning to unbridled romance - Broderick's music is multi-faceted, deep and utterly unforgettable. We honestly reckon this album is nothing short of a masterpiece, grab yourself one of these and make your life a tiny bit better...

Boomkat

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Winter Family - Winter Family (Sub Rosa, 2007)

1.1 Salted Slug (5:09)
1.2 Garden (2:04)
1.3 Auschwitz (3:03)
1.4 Psaume (4:53)
1.5 So Soon (4:24)
1.6 Nous Les Vivants (4:40)
1.7 You Wish (3:33)
2.1 Just Like We Said (1:56)
2.2 Ray Of Light / No Bad Animals (6:31)
2.3 So Soon (3:57)
2.4 Winter Family (2:44)
2.5 République (13:15)
2.6 New Sun (5:52)
2.7 Golden Sword (1:50)

Pour la version française, laissons parler la blogothèque, en texte et en vidéo :
http://www.blogotheque.net/Winter-Family

Debut double CDs are usually greeted as a bit audacious, and it probably should be counted as doubly-so when the music contained within them could easily be contained on a single platter. So goes for this self-titled release from spoken word and music duo Winter Family. That's right, the group finds Israeli artist Ruth Rosenthal and French musician Xavier Klaine creating minimal pieces that find her words (in both English and Hebrew) mingling with piano, harmonium, and pipe organ. It's definitely audacious, and quite possibly pretentious, but amazingly they've managed to put together something that's charming at times and deeply hypnotic in others.

The release opens with "Salted Slug," and things are pretty dour as minor-key close-mic'ed piano provides a backdrop for the quiet, breathy words of Rosenthal veer between English and Hebrew in abstract ways, painting an evocative and strange portrait. "Psaume" is even better, with droning wheezes of harmonium layered upon one another while words entirely in Hebrew sound like some sort of mystical and even seductive call.

Considering the somewhat limited palette that the duo works with, they've actually managed to create a highly varied batch of songs. "Nous Les Vivants" is probably the most over-dramatic piece on the entire release, with massive church organs that come crashing down from above while Rosenthal is at her most theatrical. "Republique" also takes advantage of said organs, but is much more successful, stretching out over thirteen minutes and playing on subtle note changes and much more subdued vocal stylings. Oddly enough, the most jaunty song is the downright odd "Auschwitz," which mixes completely bizarre lyrics with playful piano melodies and a mouth harp.

That said, the release does have some soft spots. "Just Like We Said" is essentially a lackluster revisiting of the earlier "Garden" and "So Soon" suffers from a more open live-sound recording that feels completely out of place amongst the other pieces. When the group hits their stride, though, the beauty of their music is simply hard to deny. Both "So Soon" and "Golden Sword" strip things down to just simple piano melodies and words, but they're absolutely gorgeous. Like many debut albums, Winter Family is a bit too ambitious in places, and certainly has a couple stumbles (not to mention the 2CD set, which is a bit annoying considering the entire release spans just over sixty minutes in total length), but it shows a lot of promise as well, and is most likely something quite different than anything you've heard lately.

Almost Cool Music Reviews

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Kwoon - Tales and Dreams (self release, 2006)

Intro (1:47)
I Lived On The Moon (4:32)
Blue Melody (6:05)
The Beast (5:36)
Eternal Jellyfish Ballet (6:06)
Last Sundown (3:04)
Tinklëh (4:33)
Tinklëh Skofa (1:49)
The Door (3:34)
Kwoon (5:00)

Derrière l’entité Kwoon se cache un mystère nommé Sandy. Un être qui, des dires de ses proches, préfère qu’on parle de son univers plutôt que de lui même. Cet univers, fait de mystères et de poésie, découle d’un premier essai en forme de pastel atmosphérique et intemporel. Il se construit autour d’un optique à la fois pop, mélancolique et planante. Si les dominantes organiques de l’album puisent dans le son des guitares une pulpe opaque ou plus acerbe (les saturations en apesanteur de "Last Sundown"), l’apparent calme et la rétention qui gouvernent l’ensemble se parent de textures électroniques fines et fugaces. Ils dessinent des paysages intérieurs délicats et irréels, dominés par l’importance des rêves et de leur sauvegarde ("I lived on the Moon").

Kwoon, toutefois, ne s’inscrit pas dans le repli total. Ses quelques exergues orchestrales peuvent (avec classe) dépeindre une ambition plus physique et majestueuse que le simple format pop ("Blue Melody", au sublime final, ou le très beau crescendo de "Eternal jellyfish Ballet"). Leur bienséance prouve simultanément que rien ne vaut l’économie des couches, la sobriété.
A l’instar de Sigur Rós, des univers enfantins mutent vers des formes inquiètes, une hypnose qui fait que l’on quitte l’espace temps sans pour autant pénétrer pleinement les ténèbres ("The Beast"). L’ensemble de "Tales And Dreams", ainsi, reste davantage dans le questionnement et l’attente et évite la démonstration de force, laissant Kwwon imposer un songwriting inspiré et délicat, teneur d’un psychédélisme rénové et – fatalement – passionnant.

obskure.com

It doesn't take long into Tales and Dreams before Kwoon unviels their influences. "Intro" may through the listener for a loop (perhaps a snapshot from Scars of the Midwest?), and even "I Lived on the Moon," with it's gloriously ascending guitar line, may still leave us scratching our heads. Some very somber vocals are even added to the mix to further complicate the matters; yes, Kwoon is a post rock band that likes to sing on occasion. Then we come to "Blue Melody" and as the slow, celestrial ambience slowly begins to dissolve, the pace of the guitar quickens and the drums flare to life, signaling the beginning of the triumphant finale. The sextet sure knows how to pack a powerful punch, a punch which sends me back listening to Agaetis Byrjun.
-Jordan Volz

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Jasper TX - Black Sleep (Miasmah, 2008)

Black Sleep Part I (9:13)
Black Sleep Part II (3:58)
Black Sleep Part III (5:32)
Black Sleep Part IV (4:52)
Black Sleep Part V (8:56)
Black Sleep Part VI (19:10)

Ultra fécond, le suédois Dag Rosenqvist a fréquenté a peu près autant de labels qu'il a accouché d'albums et de maxis (Lampse, Kning disk, Lidar, Pumpkin seeds in the sand, Slaapwel). C'est désormais avec une certaine logique qu'on le retrouve chez l'obscur Miasmah, label développant une esthétique qui sied à merveille aux thèmes développés sur ce bien nommé Black sleep.
S'attachant à tisser des ambiances reflétant ces états de demi-sommeil où la conscience s'égare et se dissout, Jasper TX joue beaucoup sur les va-et-vient incessants de drones nocturnes, de souffles légers et nappes saturées, le tout ponctué de quelques pulsations sourdes et lointaines.
Là ou bien d'autres se seraient terrés dans un obscurantisme cérébral tourné vers le " tout drone ", Jasper TX modère son propos en explorant les différentes phases du sommeil. De ce fait, le climat s'allège à intervalles réguliers, les nappes se font mélodiques, une guitare en apesanteur égrène paisiblement quelques notes pensives, soulignées d'un trait d'orgue et quelques micro-parasites, nous ramenant alors aux plus belles heures de Labradford. Comme tout sommeil qui se respecte, celui-ci connaît ses moments d'agitation, se concrétisant trois minutes durant par un magma de cordes dissonantes et de carillons déréglés qui vient ouvrir le longuet sixième et dernier chapitre.
Une petite heure d'ambiant vespérale et somnolente, ponctuée de quelques moments de grâce.

Sébastien Radiguet, Ondefixe

NCREDIBLE ALBUM COMBINING THE EMOTIVE INSTRUMENTAL WORK OF THE COCTEAU TWINS WITH A DARK LINE IN DENSE REDUCTION REMINISCENT OF DEATHPROD WITH A DEEP, HARROWING CINEMATIC QUALITY* Returning to his solo work after assisting in the triumphant post-rock of De La Mancha's Atlas, multitalented Swede Dag Rosenqvist arrives at the Miasmah imprint with a sound that's been greatly honed and refined since it last graced our ears. 'Black Sleep' lives up to the dark, dreamscape suggestions of its title, sounding more concerned with beautifully crafted drones than previous entries into the Jasper TX discography, introducing itself with the resonant glare of soft feedback on 'Pt.I', a piece led by a kind of rhythmic pulse, beating quietly and impatiently in the background, only to eventually dissipate into a wash of noise frequencies and unassuming acoustic guitar arpeggiations. Next, 'Pt.II' explores Oren Ambarchi-like low frequency tones and engine room rumble, only for 'Pt.III' to switch things around, approximating the Twin Peaks theme via a guitar and organ arrangement, the end result of which provides one of the album's most sweetly melodic, yet implicitly unnerving moments. You can hear Rosenqvist's sound design expertise blossoming on the tactile electroacoustic textures of 'Pt. IV', a composition that introduces itself with two minutes of quiet, evocatively rendered creaking and muddied crackling sounds before opening up into a sea of sustain and drifting, distant harmonic signals. Finally, Black Sleep reaches its creative peak during the nineteen-minute climax of 'Pt.VI', which sees some of the most ambitious and fully realised music of Jasper TX's career to date, marrying processed instrumental passages (most notably some spiralling, dulcimer-like phrases towards the beginning) with carefully pieced together field recordings and the kind of intangible, completely immersive drones that only the very finest purveyors of the art can summon up. Absolutely first class - and another amazing release from the Miasmah label.

Boomkat

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Mi & l'Au - Mi & l'Au (Young God Records, 2005)

They Marry (3:42)
How (3:34)
Philosopher (2:52)
I've Been Watching You (3:05)
Bums (2:49)
Older (2:47)
Merry Go Round (3:05)
Nude (2:22)
A Word In Your Belly (3:49)
Boxer (3:39)
Andy (3:23)
Christmas Soul (3:43)
New Born Child (2:14)
Study (4:08)

L'histoire de Mi And L'Au a tout du conte de fée bobo qui ferait le bonheur de la chroniqueuse musicale de ELLE. L'Au, le français, rencontre Mi la finlandaise à Paris. Le musicien et le mannequin tombent amoureux et partent vivre dans une petite cabane au beau milieu la forêt finnoise où ils écrivent, composent et enregistrent des chansons à la simplicité bouleversante. C'est peut-être par l'intermédiaire de Devendra Banhart avec qui L'Au a gratouillé occasionnellement à Paris que le duo rentre en contact avec Young God Records, le label de Michael Gira (ex-Swans et Angels OfLight) qui invite le duo à venir mixer son premier disque à Brooklyn après que quelques folkeux locaux (dont Akron/Family, d'autres pensionnaires de Young God, et Julia Kent qui collabore avec Antony And The Jonhsons) aient apporté leur touche musicale à cette petite merveille. Prenant le contre-pied de la technicité, le duo fait de la simplicité son principal atout. L'univers du duo ne consiste souvent qu'en la simple combinaison de guitare acoustique et de la voix de Mi (plus rarement celle de L'Au) auquel s'ajoute quelques percussions cristallines ou autres bruissements éparses accentuant un peu plus la pureté fragile de leur petit monde. Dans cette poétique économie de moyens où chaque détail instrumental est un vrai événement, l'apparition d'un violon ('Older') ou de quelques notes de piano ('Merry Go Round') confère une richesse qui se transforme carrément en abondance amenée par les cordes magistralement posées - sur l'un peu plus compliqué et résolument fantastique « Boxer » ou sur le parfaitement triste « Christmas Soul ». Le pas franchement gai 'Study' clôt ce petit chef d'oeuvre, se faisant l'écho en négatif de 'They Marry', valse ensorcelante dont on n'est pas près d'oublier l'attendrissant vertige.

octopus en ligne

April 11, 2006 The backstory behind the charming debut album from European duo Mi and L'au almost reads like something out of a Hans Christian Andersen folktale: two restless, kindred spirits meet and fall in love in Paris, then move to a cabin in the remote Finnish forest to write and record their deeply intimate music in utter seclusion. And while for some albums such a quaint and colorful narrative might seem an incidental talking point, in the case of Mi and L'au it becomes an essential descriptive, as it's nearly impossible to imagine this delicate, wintry music being made under any other circumstance. Matching the couple's hushed vocals with acoustic guitars and minimal, deceptively sophisticated arrangements, Mi and L'au create music that bears only tangential relation to traditional folk, seeming instead to be their own enchanted form of stripped-down, hermetic cabaret-pop. Sung entirely in English, their songs do sound considerably less alien and otherworldly than Finnish psych-folk counterparts like Islaja, Lau Nau, or others from the extended Fonal label roster. The album's relative accessibility can perhaps be traced to guest contributions from members of Akron/Family and Antony compatriot Julia Kent which were overdubbed and mixed in Brooklyn. Yet despite these outward flourishes, Mi and L'au carries the distinct air of a work constructed almost entirely in private, seemingly intended for no further audience than the snow-topped fir trees eavesdropping through the windows. Quietly plucked strings, woodwinds, and bells help give the opening processional "They Marry" a gently off-kilter carnival sway, with Mi's willowy vocals delivered in an ear-nibbling, Bardot-like whisper. "Fold your hands around me," she repeatedly coos and the music promptly obliges, enveloping her voice in cozy wisps of chimney-smoke. The chiming "Philosopher" sounds as though it were composed in accordance with a vintage grandfather clock. Here L'au joins Mi on effortless vocal harmonies before taking the lead himself on the austere "I've Been Watching You", a track whose lucid, plain-spoken lyricism fondly recalls Leonard Cohen's Songs From a Room. Given the inherent, rustic simplicity of the duo's equipment and production (as well as Mi's rather limited vocal range) it is perhaps inevitable that over the course of these 14 songs a certain placid uniformity begins to afflict tracks like the uneventful "New Born Child" or the calliope-winding-down "Merry Go Round". Much richer and more effective are tracks like "Older" or "A Word in Your Belly", both of which feature exquisite, understated string arrangements similar to those producer Joe Boyd helped score for performers like Nick Drake or Vashti Bunyan. These orchestrations reach an apex on the set-closing "Study", which pairs a diffuse symphonic swell with what sounds like a mad scientist's bubbling test tubes, as Mi softly wonders "What's to come of tomorrow'" And as their captivating debut proves the great distances Mi and L'au are willing to go for their music, the possible answers to this album's final question appear to be virtually limitless. pitchfork media buy try

The Golden Hours - The Mystery & Her Crew (Not Not Fun Records, 2005)

Ships At Sea
Young Eyes
Shallow Breath
When Two Giants Are Forced Into The Hills
Drop Anchor

Une seule cassette à leur actif en 2005, The Golden Hours dont les cinq titres sonnent comme une pop lo-fi charmeuse, raconte avec optimisme des histoires de mort et de désespoir.... 100 copies réalisées.

April 12, 2006 - The Golden Hours is made up of long-time friends Raf Spielman, Eliza Sohn and Brian Yoder. The band met in high school, when Spielman and Yoder were in the same German class and Sohn played co-ed soccer with Spielman.

Yoder and Sohn started the group shortly after graduating from high school. Spielman joined first as a "guest musician," later sticking around for good. Their first cassette tape was recorded and mixed to 4-track in less than a day, using a "no-name brand computer microphone." Their first show was at Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland, Ore., a doughnut shop featuring Portland's "Smallest and Tallest Stage," which is about ten feet off the ground, above the bathroom.

Shortly after playing on the tiny, vertigo-inducing stage, The Golden Hours teamed up with Los Angeles' small, experimental Not Not Fun Records. Not Not Fun specializes in handcrafted, carefully decorated small-run releases. The Golden Hours released 100 glow-in-the-dark copies of their "mini-album," The Mystery and Her Crew, which sold out quickly. While Not Not Fun's reputation is centered on the L.A. noise scene, The Golden Hours play dreamily quaint pop songs.

With Sohn and Yoder living in Portland and Spielman studying in Providence, R.I., the individual Golden Hours write songs in their respective homes and plan on putting them to use when the band is together in Portland this summer.

NPR

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Current 93 - All the Little Pretty Horses (Durtro, 1996)

The Long Shadow Falls (2:15)
All The Pretty Little Horsies (2:35)
Calling For Vanished Faces I (1:50)
The Inmost Night (2:16)
This Carnival Is Dead And Gone (3:11)
The Bloodbells Chime (2:58)
Calling For Vanished Faces II (4:10)
The Frolic (8:11)
The Inmost Light (1:45)
Twilight Twilight Nihil Nihil (8:22)
The Inmost Light Itself (9:29)
All The Pretty Little Horses (2:34)
Patripassian (5:50)

Pièce centrale de la trilogie ‘the inmost light’ initiée avec ‘The long shadows fall’ en 1995 et achevé en 1996 avec ‘The starres are marching sadly home’, tous ces adorables petits chevaux constituent une fois de plus un coup de maître du sieur Tibet et de sa bande, avec quelques réminiscences de l’album ‘Of ruine or some blazing starres’ sorti en 1994. Entre longues plages monotones aux voix distantes (‘Where the long shadows fall’, ‘Twilight twilight…’, ), du Tibet délirant (‘The inmost night’) et ballades folk (‘All the pretty…’ dont une version avec rien de moins que Nick Cave au chant ! ‘The bloodbells chime’, ‘The frolic’…), la preuve est faite que, malgré quelques égarements dans sa discographie (surtout maintenant en fait), Tibet sait toujours accrocher l’auditeur avec ses ambiances uniques et une volonté inébranlable de provoquer l’émotion. Et ça, ça n’est pas donné à tout le monde ! (lundi 25 août 2003)

Guts of Darkness

The neofolk scene is certainly home to some of the most interesting musicians and personalities around. People in this scene range from the homosexual, fascist obsessing, mask sporting men (Douglas Pierce) to the priests in the high church of Satan who partake in organizations promoting male supremacy (Boyd Rice). Any way you look at it neofolk is certainly not a genre lacking in character. As you can tell, sometimes, these figures may carry their personalities out in less than positive manners. David Tibet, the mastermind behind neofolk act Current 93 stands above much of the neofolk scene, he does not need to rely on controversy to become a highly renowned artist, he does so simply by writing some of the most incredible music out there.

All the Pretty Little Horses is considered by many to be the peak of Current 93’s career, and it’s easy to see why. Right away from the first track “The Long Shadows Fall” you know you’re in for a trip, this song is driven by some sort of keyboard build up, unlike like anything I have ever heard before. Soon David Tibet speaks the words “why can’t we all just walk away”, this delivery may be simple, but it’s powerful, and despite being used as an intro track is always worth listening to simply because of how important it is to the album.

David Tibet’s singing is truly one of the most essential and unique aspects about this album, and Current 93 in general. He uses a good deal of variety in his vocal approach throughout All the Pretty Little Horses. On the first version of the title track Tibet uses a soft whisper, this works incredibly well with the lullaby like lyrics, some neofolk musicians try to use the whisper technique to create some sort of “dark atmosphere” but nobody comes close to matching David Tibet’s delivery. In some songs David Tibet may go a bit overboard with his voice, on “The Inmost Light” he sounds rather sadistic, which can be seen as a bit pretentious and distracting but doesn’t really hurt the album too much due to how little he goes that far. Mr. Tibet’s normal singing voice is rather high and very distinct sounding, some may find his voice irritating but it is his style that truly helps Current 93’s music convey so much imagination and emotion.

Lyrically All the Pretty Little Horses is an absolute masterpiece. The entire album deals with rather abstract themes about “the inmost light”. The title track features some beautiful lullaby lyrics as mentioned earlier, other songs such as “The Frolic” contain incredibly well written story like lyrics, that when combined with Tibet’s unique vocals paint a picture in your head truly making the listening experience amazing.

“I walk into the altar room
All the buddhas are smashed there
Avalokitesvara's hundred faces lie shattered
I have done this
I walk to the makeshift redbrick altar a hundred years ago
There is a small brass image there
I have built this
The red and black ants mill around
Unknown journeys
I take my lighter and torch them
I take my lighter and torch them
I weep, I weep
The ants scatter or writhe
I take my lighter and torch them torch them
I have done this
I am surrounded by butterflies”

Some of the tracks contain rather bizarre lyrics, such as “The Bloodbells Chime” or “The Carnival is Dead and Gone”. However despite their oddity these lyrics never prove to be distracting or hurtful to the songs quality.

All the Pretty Little Horses isn’t just masterful in the vocal and lyrical department. Musically this album is simply breathtaking. Overall the instrumentation here is far from complicated, but it certainly does not need to be to create amazing songs. The primary instrument used is the acoustic guitar, which always proves to be playing something incredibly beautiful. Whether it’s picking wonderful melodies or simply strumming pleasant chords to carry the songs along acoustic guitars are utilized very well. Other instruments are frequently thrown into the mix as well; violins make several appearances throughout this release. One of the best moments on the album is the end of “The Blood Bells Chime” when violins are played magnificently over the song to create an amazing climax to the song. Piano playing is also frequently used, which always adds a nice dimension to the songs.

Despite All the Little Pretty Horses amazing qualities it is not without fault. There are a few dragging moments on this release. For example, the song “Twilight Twilight Nihil Nihil” is a very drone-esq song with some interesting spoken sections, it’s cool for a little bit, but halfway through the song you feel like it should have ended already and you’ll find yourself becoming quite bored with it. “The Inmost Light Itself” also lasts a bit longer than it should. Additionally, some will also find David Tibet’s vocals a bit hard to digest at times, and therefore have a harder time enjoying the album.

This albums quality is further enhanced by special appearance, famous singer Nick Cave on the last 2 tracks. Nick Cave sings on the 2nd version of the title track, and his voice fits this song very well because it is so soothing and pleasant, and perfectly matches the mood of the track. He also contributes a spoken poem in the last song “Patripassian”, this song is quite similar to the intro track “The Long Shadows Fall” but a bit longer. The lyrics in this song are very interesting, and Nick Cave has the perfect speaking voice for such a piece.

For some, All the Pretty Horses is an album that will take a few listens to truly understand and appreciate, or like me, you will be able to recognize the genius of the album upon the very first listen. If a voyage of unique folk music that can be extremely moving and beautiful sounds appealing to you, than look no further than this album. All the Pretty Horses is home to everything that is good in neofolk music, and is a release that should be heard by one and all.

Recommended Listening:
-All the Pretty Little Horses
-The Blood Bells Chime
-The Frolic

Steven Moore, Sputnik Music

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Arca - Angles (Les Disques du Soleil et de l'Acier, 2003)

Le Puit Face Au Ciel (5:23)
Polarités (3:35)
Portrait Of An Unsatisfied Figure (3:56)
Perspective Of Nude (2:46)
Endormir Les Hommes (5:34)
Attendre (3:09)
Attractions (3:06)
Errance (3:22)
Face (5:46)
Nyodene D (7:42)

Arca est la collaboration entre Sylvain Chauveau et Joan Cambon. La guitare de Chauveau hante chaque titre mêlée à quelques abstractions électronique, le disque est peuplé de dialogue tirés soit de films, soit de bulletin d'informations. Un disque brillant, recommandé pour les amateurs de post-rock à la Goodspeed You Black Emperor !

"Angles" is the second album of Sylvain Chauveau and Joan Cambon's project. They both gathered some guests to create a superb following to "Cinématique". The question is: do we necessarily expect a band who baffled us with their first album to surprise us with the second? Because here, the result is certainly brilliant, but insists too much on a post-rock genre that any Godspeed or Mogwai's fan has known for years (especially in the structures of Le Puits face au ciel, Endormir les hommes or Errance, or in the use of (over)present voices' samples). Perspective of Nude, Face and Nyodene D, the magnificent final apnoea, remind on some points of "Wu Wei", Hint's last master piece in 1998, and that could well please the inconsolable ones. On the other hand, Portrait of an Unsatisfied Figure and Attractions, which would be the counterpart of the dark track Orly from their first album, show a more experimental and electronic side, despite a still melodic and therefore more personal orientation. Too bad it's not displayed on the full length of the album, though "Angles" remains a highly recommended piece.

Premonition Magazine

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Les Sonnailles (CSR Records, 2000)

1.	Plan-du-Mont (vaches et génisses)
2.	Jeu-de-Quilles (vaches)
3.	Le Sori (vaches)
4.	Verchamp (vaches et génisses)
5.	La Verda (vaches)
6.	Interlude (vaches et génisses)
7.	Les Chapelles ( génisses)
8.	Le Sori (chèvres)
9.	Jeu-de-Quilles (la désalpe)

Revenant de lézarder au soleil avec un demi, le temps est printanier dans le coin... quoi de mieux, qu'un peu de field recordings, que la montée à l'estive pour accompagner tout cela en musique....

La pochette présentant une des nombreuses artistes de l'album, inutile donc d'en dire plus et deux mots tirés du site du label.

Enregistrements du tintement des sonnettes de vaches, génisses et chèvres dans la région du Gros-Mont (en Gruyère fribourgeoise et au Pays-d'Enhaut vaudois).

Les animaux portent des sonnettes et des clochettes, des cloches, des tapes, chamonix, toupins et des sonnailes.

Leurs carillons ont été enregistrés le 25 août, le 12 et le 13 septembre 1999 (74 Minutes).

L'enregistrement est de Cyrill Schläpfer et la coproduction de Madeleine Schläpfer.

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Wouter van Veldhoven - Ruststukken (Slaapwel Records, 2007)

Stoffig Stuk (6:27)
Stukke Rust (19:34)

Wouter van Veldhoven utilise sur ce disque des enregistrements de guitares, melodica, xylophones et bien d'autres choses encore. Contrairement à ces deux premiers disques, il choisit ici de ne livrer que deux titres. Le premier, Stoffig Stuk, est basé sur le titre Stofstuk de Machinefabriek mais si celui ci est un drone, ici Wouter van Veldhoven le transforme en une véritable forêt enchantée de sons. Le second morceau, plus long, se construit très graduellement, pendant que chaque instrument ajoute à la palette de sons....
Fortement recommandé pour les amateurs de Machinefabriek et de Colleen...

Hailing from Utrecht, the Netherlands, Wouter van Veldhoven is the musician behind the first slaapwel record. His tape-experiments provide listeners with beautiful decaying sounds, bathing in a sweet swirling hiss. I find those sounds and loops so soothing and gentle that I thought Wouter would make an excellent artist to record an album to fall asleep to. Wouter seemed to really like the idea and within a week or two he made "Ruststukken", a beautiful EP compromised of two long sleep-inducing songs. The first song is called "Stoffig Stuk" and is basicly Wouter re-interpreting the infamous "Stofstuk" by Machinefabriek. It is followed by my favourite piece of him; "Stukke Rust" a 20 minute epic that builds up with a melancholic melodica, hiss, acoustic guitars and other otherworldly sounds. I can only describe it as if Yann Tiersen and William Basinski decided to record together. I suppose it's not hard to imagine for you how awesome that must sound. The artwork for this one is extremely special. All boxes are handpainted with glitters and a sparkly star. An Vandesompele designed them and I must say she did an incredible job. It's probably the most beautiful box I own in my record collection.

Slaapwel Records

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Current 93 / Antony & the Johnsons - Live at St Olave's Church (PanDurtro, 2002)

Antony And The Johnsons - You Stand Above Me (1:36)
Antony And The Johnsons - The Lake (4:48)
Antony And The Johnsons - Cripple And The Starfish (4:51)
Current 93 - Judas As Black Moth (1:49)
Current 93 - Sleep Has His House (2:54)
Current 93 - Walking Like Shadow (3:27)

Ce disque ne compte pas tant pour les performances de Current 93, que celles d'Antony. Le court "You Stand Above Me" contient toute la mélancholie que l'on peut en attendre. C'est ensuite la magnifique adaptation de "The Lake", texte d'Edgar Allan Poe, qui a lui seul vaut qu'on achète ce disque puis suit le tendre "Cripple and the Starfish".
Autant Antony n'avait jamais édité de live, autant Current 93 en a pléthore et nous préférerons aller chercher ailleurs... (bientôt...vous dis-je). Judas As Black Moth et Sleep Has His House sont réduits à leur plus simple expression.... c'est finalement "Walking Like Shadow", composé par David Tibet et Steven Stapleton de Nurse With Wound sur le "Bright Yellow Moon" (bientôt.... si y'a des réclamations....), qui sonne le plus juste.

While several Current Ninety Three live outings have been recorded and in due time released, Antony and the Johnsons five years of performances have not seen the same light of day. Perhaps that and the (at the time) upcoming Antony/C93 shows in Portugal and San Francisco were reasons for Durtro to present this EP length disc featuring three tracks apiece from last April's shows. Antony is at the piano, accompanied by Johnson Maxim Moston on violin. "You Stand Above Me" is only one minute and thirty-six seconds but contains all the melancholy and drama one would expect. Antony bellows "while eternity cycles wildly, inside me," over plaintive piano notes, the vibrato of his powerful soprano nestling into every crevice of my mind, body and soul. Antony naturally adapts Edgar Allan Poe's lovely 1827 poem "The Lake" to song, a much more fitting tribute than Lou Reed's ill-advised 'The Raven' (excepting Antony's minimal rendition of Reed's "Perfect Day"). What follows is the tender "Cripple and the Starfish," and what sounds like a well deserved standing ovation. For C93's songs, David Tibet is accompanied by usual suspects Maja Elliott on piano and Michael Cashmore on guitar. "Walking Like Shadow," from C93 and Nurse With Wound's 'Bright Yellow Moon' is musically true. Ditto the brief version of "Judas as Black Moth" from 'Soft Black Stars' which also benefits from additional lyrics, "in the middle of the night as the cats cry in the street, and the scent of flowers is heavy in your hair, the car sweeps by with a murdered child, the car sweeps by with a violated girl". The mammoth title track from 'Sleep Has His House' is reduced to just the main lyrical passage here, the piano and Tibet's voice rising to a fever pitch as he breathlessly chokes on emotion in remembrance of his father. It is magnificent. Too bad there's only three songs each. I'd happily pay more for more. Maybe, just maybe, a future show will come closer to me than 1300 miles away.

Mark Weddle, Brainwashed
Sunday, 09 February 2003

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Saycet - One Day at Home (Electron'y'pop, 2006)

Chromatic Bird (6:34)
Don't Cry Little Girl (4:43)
Trilogie (4:38)
Circonflex (5:54)
Maud Takes The Train (6:52)
3ème Type (4:35)
Dinafly (5:31)
Metadine (4:36)
Dream Factory (7:22)

Baigné dans la musique dès son plus jeune âge, le musicien français José propose le premier album de Saycet et nous transporte dans l'univers des petites créatures de la pochette en nous racontant leur histoire. Une histoire toute poétique et symbolique : l'une des créatures voie, l'autre entend et la dernière ne reçoit que des caresses et des baisers. Elles découvrent en sortant de l'oeuf, le monde sur lequel elles vont devoir vivre dorénavant. Un monde peu accueillant mais pourtant si attrayant...

A l'écoute de cette electro très subtile offrant un mix de textures ouatées et enveloppantes, de nappes atmosphériques, de petits rythmes cristallins et des micro-beats proches du battement de coeur, de mélodies en même temps enfantines et mélancoliques (quelques fois chantées étrangement dans une langue inconnue trafiquée) on pense forcément un peu à Mùm ou à Montag... La musique de Saycet fait se côtoyer de très jolis sons presque enchanteurs, avec une certaine âpreté des rythmes. Et la liaison qu'il fait entre son histoire et ses compositions musicales révèle une jolie poésie et une certaine candeur. Une candeur toujours contrebalancée par des effets sombres et lyriques contrastants, faisant s'enchevêtrer froideur de l'électronique et chaleur organique de sons et d'ambiances évaporées.

"One Day at home" est une remarquable odyssée et un très bel album qui s'écoute comme dans un cocon.

trip hop.net


Although often compared to Boards of Canada or Mum atmospheres, the music of Saycet is entirely personal. Melodies are dancing waltz, keyboards are singing, rhythms are racing in a spring of innocence and fragility that tension comes to disturb. This, telling us an out of time story, where images are inexorably chinking and flashing.

As a matter of fact, behind his video club counter, Pierre/Saycet is surrounded by movies, and consequently of music! His weightness compositions would definitely match with some of the Sofia Coppola, Larry Clarck or Gus Van Sant pictures. The problem is, they are not from the same block ! Nevertheless, others have already spotted him. If you carefully listen to the O.B. of « Laisse tes mains sur tes hanches » by Chantal Lauby, you would recognize his work.

Saycet album « One day at home » is an invitation to contemplation, a pur jewel of electronica that subtly mixes filtered voices, as (Mogwai does), with minimalist and light harmonies ; a naive but sharp dream-like .

On stage, lives are orchestrated with an evident maestria, that exacerbates our senses and gives her the shivers. At last inspired videos, projected on a wall screen, illustrates the show and highlights the Saycet poetry.

CD Baby

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à la demande générale de mam'zelle lemonguide, chaque description d'une oeuvre sera désormais accompagnée, en plus d'un article-critique en anglais, pour ceux qui aiment lire de longs textes, d'une courte description en français...

Melodium - Gamm (Active Suspension, 2001)

Gamm
Cyclamen I
Hiko
Cyclamen II

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Melodium - There Is Something in the Universe (Disasters By Choice, 2006)

Prologue (1:30)
The Plio-Scene Is Away (5:18)
Weird Voices Inside My Head (3:19)
Please, Destroy The Piano (3:25)
He Will Be Killed Tomorrow (1:22)
In A Complete Solitune (2:58)
You Are No One, Like Everyone (3:29)
Dragged Down Into The Bottomless hole (2:47)
The Can't Get Inside Of You (3:19)
The House Is Surrounded (5:39)
Interlude Double (2:04)
I Know Is Crimes (3:58)
Do You Remember That? (3:20)
Of Course, I'm Guilty (4:00)
There Is Something In The Universe (4:38)

… Before the 'poppy' "la tete qui flotte" (Autres Directions 2005), Melodium composed a quasi instrumental album based on acoustic guitar and analogic sounds... the aim is always to express feelings through the use of simple and melancholic melodies...
… A refined, sweet and nostalgic sound, distracted in its interferences, highlights the gentleness of Laurent Girard’s touch, for his third album on Disasters By Choice.

Disasters By Choices

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The Magickal Folk Of The Faraway Tree - The Mildew Leaf (Deserted Village, 2003)

In Aimsir Bhaint An Fhéir (2:40)
Spencer The Rover (3:41)
Le Bon Marain (3:33)
The Blackthorn Tree (2:08)
Twa Corbies (1:39)
Is Iomaidh Coiscéim Fada (3:24)
Sweet Thames Flow Softly (4:58)
Time To Go Home (1:59)

Lately when I heard Tickawinda, which is a good item, in modal avarage folk style, but still I miss the magic there in what UK folk could represent but could not really describe during my listening where the difference lies and what I miss there. To miss that part often made me hate folk-music. But when listening to this group I recognise the difference. The difference is a sensibility of authenticity, not only in using the material, but also in reflecting its underlying magic, warmth and mystic feeling. This takes the folk genre a very big step forward.

Their search has taken them throughout Ireland and from John O' Groats to the Channel Islands, and over to France. The songs are sung in Manx, Gaelic and French. The voice arrangements recall the best Kissing Spell label recordings, and, why not : The Wickerman, with to the core beautiful arrangements with male and female voices, banjo, guitar, flute,.. This is, for most of the album, the Essence !

Psychedelic Folk

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The Once & Future Herds - Lion-Colored Hills (Pseudo Arcana, 2005)

Locust Parade (0:52)
Ranch Rags (7:09)
Who Will Weep For The Sparrow? (1:41)
Wild Blue Air (4:42)
New Hills (3:38)

To feel the sun, you must leave your home. To taste the sun, you must leave your mind. The Once & Future Herds are another tree in the Jewelled Antler forest. Comprised of Glenn Donaldson, Donovan Quinn, and Loren Chasse, the Herds run rampant in fields of bluegrass while spelunking through golden caves. Organic acoustic instruments are strummed and plucked with branches and twigs while the merrymen dance around, praying for God to bring rain to their tongue. "Ranch Raga" is an appropriately titled hypnotic dirt affair. One can just see a group of gnomes sitting on a porch in Montana, playing music, whimsically singing as their horses graze the green fields. Chasse contributes some of his trademark percussion, using whatever natural elements could be found. He could be rattling a bag of bones for all I know, it's all a part of these ritualistic passages. Masked men serenade dancing women, arming them with hope for a new dawn on "Wild Blue Air." Donaldson's falsetto follows his bouzouki on this journey, while rustic violin scratches tow the line. The Once & Future Herds aren't dead or alive, they are feasting on the land like those that came before them. Another Jewelled Antler gem.

Brad Rose, Foxy Digitalis

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Paavoharju - Laulu Laakson Kukista (Fonal Records, 2008)

Pimeänkarkelo (3:56)
Kevätrumpu (3:56)
Tuoksu Tarttuu Meihin (3:43)
Italialaisella Laivalla (3:49)
Alania (0:49)
Uskallan (3:20)
Ursulan Uni (2:36)
Kirkonväki (3:46)
Salainen Huone (1:07)
Tyttö Tanssii (3:51)
Sumuvirsi (3:06)
Untitled (1:04)

It's hard to pin down precisely what it is that's so alluring about Finland's hugely acclaimed Paavoharju, but the consensus seems to have been that their remarkable debut album "Yha Hamaraa" quite simply managed to marry a myriad disjointed influences and sound sources without ever sounding like it was trying too hard. If you've never heard the music of Paavoharju, prepare yourself for one of life's more considerable and uncontained pleasures. They are a band who take in influence from the "Radio India" style shortwave pop transmissions of the Sublime Frequencies label, freak folk, Europop, modern classical, plunderphonics, choral, devotional, experimental and multicoloured music of almost every description imaginable - and yet they embody a specific sound that's unmistakably their own. Their aforementioned debut "Yha Hamaraa" made such an impact when it first came out that it seemed to unify music critics and the buying public from all ends of the musical spectrum, worshipped by chin-stroking journalists and passers by alike - one of those records that you could play almost anywhere and guarantee people would virtually queue to ask who it was by and where they could buy it. Their long awaited follow-up "Laulu Laakson Kukista" does that remarkable thing and doesn't disappoint. The scope and energy here is once again impossible to contain - opening with drone washes, de-tuned music box tones and vocals degraded by worn down analogue tape, it sounds like a day in the park, a far away ice cream van, an orchestra rehearsing and Fennesz doing a soundcheck all at the same time. From there we go to "Kevätrumpu" - an absolutely genius generic jamboree that sounds like Kylie Minogue playing with a backing band that's half Finnish folk and half Bolywood session band, recorded to a four-track recorder that's been thrown into the sea and discovered 20 years later by some fortunate anthropologist. Heck, there are even some Autechre-style rhythmic distortions towards the end of the track - you just couldn't make it up, and it sounds SO good. Next - "Tuoksu Tarttuu Meihin" takes in some far away solo piano and quietly malfunctioning distortion pedals in a Tim Hecker meets Akira Rabelais sort of fashion, while "Ursulan Uni" sounds like a cross between Isan and Philip Jeck - and is just utterly beautiful. It's virtually impossible to sum up the sheer brilliance and scope of this schizophrenic yet brilliantly coherent album, it shimmers with all the excitement and knowledge of a seemingly endless stream of influence and once again manages to sound unlike anything you'll have ever heard before in your life. And believe us when we say that recommendations really don't come much higher than that. An utterly Essential Purchase.

Boomkat

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Paavoharju - Laulu Laakson Kukasta (Fonal Records, 2008)

Laulu Laakson Kukista (4:12)
Kirkonväki (3:46)
Kasetti Moskovasta (12:23)

As an accompanying release to the album of the same name, this new three track EP by uncategorisable Finnish band Paavoharju features two exclusive, non-album tracks, including (confusingly) 'Laulu Laakson Kukista' which didn't make it to the final album tracklist. The song meanders in melancholy, folksy fashion, taking a simple, scratchy guitar and piano motifs as a central theme, but it's all been conditioned by that unmistakably bizarre Paavoharju recording style that fills everything with a sense of naïve fairytale wonderment. A breakdown sequence (of sorts) reveals an odd, muffled hammering sound in the background, which could either be construction work going on a few hundred yards away from the studio, or (more likely) what passes for drums in this band. 'Kirkonvaki', as culled from the album, sounds incredibly dramatic, like a church organ recital interrupted by a few stray breakbeats (no half-hearted thumping on this one) and disintegrating cassettes of operatic vocal recordings. It's all incredibly peculiar, though not nearly as much so as the twelve minute live recording 'Kassetti Moskovasta', which could hardly have sounded more comprehensively eroded away, as if ravaged by years of neglect in a musty attic. That's almost certainly not how it came to sound like this though, you get the feeling it was probably recorded a few months ago on an incredibly rubbish tape machine. Regardless, the crumbly, decaying aesthetic matches the spooky atmosphere that hangs over the music. Awesome.

Boomkat

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Peter Wright - Crater Lake (Blackest Rainbow Records, 2007)

Untitled (34:15)

First 'official' release of 2007 comes in the form of a single 35 minute track recorded during the rehearsals for the AM/PW tour of the USA and Europe in November 2006. A long form glacial drone that erupts towards the end into a crumbling distorted lahar of debris and fire. No really. Distortion pedals and stuff like that. An excellent warm up to the forthcoming PW CDs due for release in the next few months. Comes in a limited edition of 100, some in red card sleeves, some in brown and a rare handful on a pearl parchment card.

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IN OTHER WORDS...

We last saw Peter Wright in transatlantic collaboration with Brad Rose in Servant Sun. With Crater Lake, Wright appears alone, as lonesome as the disc's single 34-minute composition, an expanded nod to Stars of the Lid, Andrew Chalk, Growing; shimmering, cresting swells of reverberation rising from thick silence, gently overlapping as they phase in and out, with slight ripples as the metallic vibration hums like a swarm. The subtle accumulation and volume of droning bodies comes crashing down in the piece's final third, where a thunderclap of hollow metal begins the precipitation of a high, brassy reed, tinged with the selfsame darkness of Labradford's masterwork 'Mi Media Naranja'. A traffic of deep rumble passes beneath the track, and carnival screams reveal a dark fantasy not unlike the impressionistic compositions of Holst or Webern. No frills CDr comes in a hand-numbered, heavy-stock folder with unruly design by Joe of Blackest Rainbow. Limited to 100 copies. Definitely recommended.

Massimo Ricci, Touching Extreme

New disc from London based Peter Wright who recently travelled around and played shows with Campbell on the Birchville Cat Motel UK visit. Over 30 minutes of excellent drone, this starts with the quietest 3 minutes ever and develops into a mind-shattering blister of sound. Limited to 100 hand numbered copies. First 10 copies come in parchment paper sleeves, the other 90 copies on brown or red pastel paper.

Animal Psi

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Melodium - Silica (Static Caravan, 2000)

A1		Silica (4:30)
A2		Hymnotic (2:21)
B1		Quarsep (4:39)
B2		Death To Frequencies (2:30)

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Chihei Hatakeyama - Minima Moralia (Kranky, 2006)

Bonfire On The Field (8:13)
Swaying Curtain In The Window (8:25)
Starlight Reflecting On The Surface Of The River (7:00)
Towards A Tranquil Marsh (4:46)
Granular Haze (7:21)
Inside Of The Pocket (4:31)
Beside A Well (11:30)

Whilst we all suckle from the white-plastic aural teet of our iPods, wouldn't it be cool if life was given an actual-factual soundtrack? If it was 'Minima Moralia' from Chihei Hatakeyama would be a shoe-in for frosty mornings.... Guranteed! As one half of electronic duo Opitope, Tokyo-based Hatakeyama certainly knows his way around a laptop - yet rather than fashion a digitalis off-shoot, 'Minima Moralia' chooses to eschew the silicon palate and focus instead on a collation of highly textured and instantly identifiable sounds. At its most simple 'Minima Moralia' is the noise of guitar and vibraphone fed through a laptop and given a makeover by Hatakeyama. At its most emotional 'Minima Moralia' is a gorgeous, life-affirming album that will have you living each day as if it were a snow-draped feature film. Or is that just us...? Flecked in glitter and with a velvet sound that can't help but seduce the ears, Hatakeyama opens through 'Bonfire On The Field'; wherein a cloud of diffused soundscape encroaches upon twinkling percussion and ill-defined field recordings, with the resultant eight minutes both joyfully anonymous and bursting with character. With the kind of fevered expectation that rightly greets any new addition to the Kranky catalogue, it'd be all too easy for albums like 'Minima Moralia' to buckle under the sky-high standards and crushing anticipation; yet rather than disappoint, Hatakeyama has crafted a bijou and lambent excursion in sound that will reward anyone who favours Baskinski, Lichens or Belong. Taken on their own, pieces like 'Swaying Curtain In The Window', 'Beside a Well' and 'Starlight Reflecting On The Surface of The River' are like a log-fire on a dark, cold night (we're thinking thoroughly welcoming and endlessly enchanting), yet indulge yourself in the album as a whole and you'll be submerged deep within it's mealy charm.

Boomkat

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