Annelies Monseré - Somewhere Someone (Morc Records, 2008)

A1 Somewhere Someone (2:55)
A2 Tree (1:13)
A3 A Solitude (1:13)
B1 Golden (1:31)
B2 A Darkness (2:05)
B3 II (1:35)

Mélodies simples aux claviers, voix à la Christina Carter.... Magnifique aussi....

Somewhere Someone is Annelies Monsere's first proper solo output since 2005, and it all focuses on a narrow range of very simple, elemental organ tones, keyboards and chimes in conjunction with a Christina Carter-like voice. There are six beautiful songs assembled on this highly limited 7" release (just 185 copies for the world), beginning with the almost ecclesiastical sounding title track and continuing with the stark loneliness of 'Tree', complete with its waifish piano tones. once again the Christina Carter comparisons are bound to arise on 'A Solitude', which layers Monsere's voice in a startlingly chilly, gothic drone-folk fashion. The B-side brings slightly creepy xylophone tones on 'Golden', and while by rights this should bring a lightness to her music, the end result is downright spine-chilling - it's all so very sparsely laid out. 'A Darkness' and 'II' close proceedings with a more brooding, minor key minimalism, bringing together awkwardly stern violin motifs and piano keys for a most unsettling pair of songs. Excellent.

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Jessica Bailiff & Annelies Monseré - Untitled EP (Morc Records, 2008)

1 Common Ground (2:24)
2 Let Time Breathe (3:16)
3 Like Yesterday (6:03)
4 Shadow (4:53)

Quelque part entre la ballade folk et le drone folk à la Fursaxa... Magnifique...

For this gorgeous release, Kranky's Jessica Bailiff joins Belgian songwriter Annelies Monsere for a collaboration over four tracks of adventurous songwriting. The odd, zoned-out vocals of 'Common Ground' are set against a background noise of buzzing synthesizer tones and sombre cello strokes plotting out unfinished melodies. You might compare it to the droning folk songs of Fursaxa, or Islaja's experimental, misshapen songs. After a silky a cappella beginning, 'Let Time Breathe' accumulates a distorted chord sequence played out on electric guitar, giving a greater shape to the song than the unearthly drones of that first piece. The duo have a closer run in with a more recognisable kind of folk with the sinister, stop-start dynamics of 'Like Yesterday', held together by sparse acoustic guitar plucks and tentative string swells. The EP comes to an all-too premature close on 'Shadow', a beautiful - if surprisingly conventional - ballad, with bright synth oscillations cutting through the moroseness of the vocals and those bedraggled acoustic guitar strums. Here's hoping these two get around to recording a full album soon. Absolutely gorgeous.
Boomkat

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