Wixel - Herfst (self release, 2006)

1 Glimlachjes (1:13)
2 Carrot Nose (10:57)
3 Karen Ikea (6:28)
4 Aai (3:30)
5 Troost (2:19)
6 Slaapwel (21:33)

Tour EP réalisé en 2006, 4 inédits, 2 morceaux rares. Herfst signifie automne alors mélancolie...

In support of our 2006 uk tour we are releasing a tour ep called "herfst". It has 6 tracks and clocks in at precisely 46 minutes, ep means extended play so maybe you could call this an "eep". 4 of the 6 tracks are unreleased, "karen ikea" was released on the "stilll compilation" & "slaapwel" was previously released as a limited edition "single".

"Herfst" means "autumn" which is a melancholic season, and there are plenty of reasons to call it herfst including that "herfst" graphically looks a bit like "heart" to which it is a sequel.

The artwork is awesome!! I had three very beautiful girls painting all of the 50 copies. They are all quite different - you can see a couple of them on the left side of this screen. Due to the nature of handcrafting (and me being clumsy) some versions are prettier than others. So we decided to pile up all the cd's and put the most beautiful versions on top! This means; the sooner you order the ep, the prettier your cd will be - i must say; the first one is soooooooooo extremely beautiful! mind you; the others are almost as beautiful as the first one - and the last one, well, it's the last one for a reason ;-) - so be quick if you like your eyes!

"Herfst" will be sold for 8 euro. I know that seems a whole lot - but it's for a good cause: paying our transporttickets and food in the UK. Only that. So if you want to support us, please buy it! We would be very very thankful!
Wixel

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Tape - Opera (Häpna, 2002)

1 Bell Mountain (3:34)
2 Fire Made Of Bones (6:02)
3 Feeler (4:24)
4 Summa (4:33)
5 Radiolaria (6:13)
6 Longitude (6:21)
7 Noises From A Hill (3:42)
8 Return To Ship (4:47)
9 Terraces (6:02)
10 Rut (2:19)

La guitare accoustique constitue le fil conducteur de ce premier album de Tape qui va de la musique concrète j'usqu'au folk...

The Scandinavian collaborative group Tape released their first album Opera (literally “work” in Italian) to critical acclaim recently. “Work” is an apt title for this release, as the many meticulously assembled layers that make up the record attest to.

There are a few things that can be mentioned when discussing Opera that may inform readers of something other than its greatness as so-late-at-night-it-might-as-well-be-morning music. It isn’t anything “new” – it draws upon the rich history of many genres and techniques, from Pierre Schaeffer’s musique concrete, to the avant folk guitar of the American Primitives Basho and Fahey, to the “wind through the horn” sounds of improvisers Axel Doerner and Radu Malfatti, and maybe even the ghost of Hannah Hoch's narrative photo-montages. Tape does this, however, with a subtle and organic aesthetic, which is probably one reason why it works.

The acoustic guitar is the narrative thread throughout the album, grounding the electro-acoustic manipulations and field recordings that dart around it in a Fahey-esque (but softer and fluffier) mode, while also reminding one of the first Town and Country album. Despite the prevalence of a perceivable pulse throughout, Tape manages to obscure this pulse nicely, through a multitude of layers and labor-intensive mixing. The sound sources are all very warm and homey, and used sparingly (with the exception of the fifth piece, which is a bit of an oddball – it sounds vaguely like an early Aphex Twin ambient piece, due to a demanding bass vamp that continues throughout, albeit slightly morphed). If one wanted to be a cynical asshole, it could be said that Tape is plumbing the post-Tortoise, post-rock, nice-guys-make-nice-music well – and that may be true – but it is nice music.

Perhaps it is too nice and too precious, though as Opera really doesn’t have a bite – it’s the kind of record that you might well forget is on, and you might not remember you’d heard. For some people, though, that could be just right.
Dusted Review

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Audiopixel - Memento Rumori (Effervescence, 2005)

1 Je Te Parle Maintenant, Même Si Tu Ne Me Répondra Jamais
2 Rumori Brouillon
3 J'ai Plus De Peine Pour Un Chat Ecrasé
4 Puzzle Fragment/Pop Shove-It
5 Velocity Ballerina
6 Origami Mon Ami
7 Rumori Papillon
8 From Caldas Da Rainha To São Martino Do Porto
9 Natas

Souviens-toi des rumeurs. Beau titre qui nous introduit de la plus belle des manières dans son univers de bruissements, de chuchotements, de chuintements (From Caldas da Rainha to Sao Martinho do Porto, Origami Mon Ami), et de rumeurs, donc. Univers à la fois acoustique, électrique et électronique, très aéré, enchevêtrement de sons et de fragments de mélodies selon un ordre secret, invisible, où l'instrumentation post-rock (guitares, basses volontiers imposantes, quelques percussions minimales) se mêle au laptop (Je te parle maintenant, même si tu ne me répondras jamais) pour accoucher d'un disque à la sensibilité hybride et, à n'en pas douter, d'une grande délicatesse.

Les rumeurs d'Audiopixel sont comme des trames lâches où viennent prendre place des sons divers, instruments, voix (le nourrisson de J'ai plus de peine pour un chat écrasé, les enfants de Je te parle maintenant, même si tu ne me répondras jamais ou Natas), grésillements informatiques et glitches en tout genre. Des rumeurs de toute origine, instrumentale, vocale, informatique, et le sentiment que ce disque qui parle plusieurs langues (From Caldas da Rainha to Sao Martinho do Porto, Natas encore, à la fois franco- et anglophone, Puzzle Fragment / Pop Shove It) est un creuset où viennent s'échouer les vents et les voix des quatre coins du monde.

Souviens-toi que tu vas mourir. Mais en attendant, la musique offre quelques accalmies sereines qui éloigneront les pensées funèbres. Celle d'Audiopixel excelle dans les climats bucoliques et sereins (Origami Mon Ami, pliage sonique qui mêle expérimentations laptop et couronnes tressées de guitare acoustique) et est un peu plus maladroite quand elle cherche à correspondre aux canons post-rock qui affectionnent les structures en crescendo jusqu'à un climax explosif (Natas). Au contraire, les morceaux arythmiques comme Rumori Brouillon ou Rumori Papillon sont les plus convaincants, les plus délicats, les plus singuliers, ceux dont la qualité poétique est la plus évidente. Qui plus est, ces expériences sonores ont lieu le plus souvent dans des formats courts (le tout étant lui-même relativement bref), ce qui nous épargne tout appesantissement ou volonté démonstrative. Sans être réellement pop dans l'esprit ou la production, cet album garde de la pop une même volonté de légèreté, de brièveté, d'abandon apaisant. Luxe, calme et volupté : une invitation au voyage qu'on aurait tort de refuser.
dMute

According to his press release, Audiopixel's Miguel Constantino is only a year old - meaning that whilst most little 'uns are busy with some Colic, our lad was learning the finer points of audio engineering and electronic compositions... Right. Just to confuse you a bit more, Audiopixel's debut LP 'Memebto Tumori' was three years in the making and features the kind of fathom deep electronica that hints at a lifetime spent in headphones. Opening with 'Je Te Parle Maintenant, Meme Si Tu Ne Me Répondras Jamais', Constantino blends sonorous bass, pin-prick tronics, kiddie vocals, piano and manipulated tape recordings into the kind of ethereal whole which represents Mum at their un-cloying best. Similarly, 'J’Ai Plus De Peine Pour Un Chat Écrasé' delivers the kind of creamy electronica that can deploy Sigur Ros strings and creased silicon to devastating effect, whilst the distortion-fed piano of 'Velocity Ballerina' is a Basinski fan-boy writ large. Closing with 'From Caldas Da Rainha To São Martinho O Port' (acoustic led clunktronica) and 'Natas' (a muscular slice of Mogwai style twinkle-post-rock), Audiopixel has crafted the kind of portmanteau album which demands multiple listens and will become a cherished gem in many a collection. Goreous.
Boomkat

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Tape - Milieu (Häpna, 2003)

1 Oak Player (2:56)
2 Sponge Chorus (4:45)
3 Crippled Tree (4:08)
4 Edisto (3:39)
5 Golden Twig (4:16)
6 Long Bell (4:23)
7 Root Tattoo (3:39)
8 Switchboard Fog (4:43)

Second album de Tape, qui compte dans ses rangs Johan Berthling, fondateur du label Häpna. Huit petits morceaux fragiles de folk traitée électroniquement qui prennent leur temps...

Tape are a family trio of sorts. The Berthling brothers (Johan runs the Häpna label and has previously collaborated with Oren Ambarchi) call upon Tomas Hallonsten to help flesh out their muted, down-played vision. Arcing around a core of folk-drawn acoustic guitar, harmonium, and electronics/tapes, the band flesh out their songs with an armory of sparingly applied instrumentation and the odd special guest... if ‘flesh out’ is an appropriate term for such wildly understated music. You could try to hinge it into some kind of post-rock, instrumentalist tradition, but Milieu is far too slippery and interesting to sit well within such a backward context. Parts of Milieu are a little reminiscent of the psychedelicised folk song-forms of San Francisco’s Blithe Sons, but Tape have their own character: a hidden, humble, yet generous approach to piecing together their music; an elaborate take on an utterly charming modesty.

On “Crippled Tree,” a field recording documents a young lady calling out to her pet, a conversation between two men, the crunch of grass and dried weeds against shoes, the soft flurries of wind against microphone. Tape drop winding spools of acoustic guitar and tiny flickers of piano into the piece. You could imagine these sounds, drenched in reverb and made ‘mysterious,’ making up the core of some negligible, vapid New Age floatation – the most unfortunate sound next to silence. But Tape leave the sounds alone, letting their natural resonance ring out. “Crippled Tree” sounds like a trio of quiet, introverted musicians who’ve happened upon inhabited parklands. Unsure of why or where, they just settle into the context and play, softly.

If the trio’s music reminds me of anything, it’s the instrumental pieces that David Grubbs dotted through his past two solo albums, The Spectrum Between and Rickets and Scurvy. Small threads of acoustic guitar are tied together in unexpected weaves and tangles, left to figure their own way back to their original configuration, while armies of small sounds continually break the main motifs’ concentration. Tape repeatedly garland their folkish, lilting melodies with beautifully incongruous asides, like the electronic burbling and cutlery clatter that etches its way through “Golden Twig.” That the same track features some wonderfully hammy lap steel guitar is another indication of Tape’s ability to force several disjunctive sounds together into lovely, arch miniatures. So it’s ‘lovely’, ‘charming’, and ‘beautiful’ – but also quite moving, in its own adroit manner. Tape evince a certain dryness of approach; they never overstate the cause.

Thirty-two minutes, eight songs, sparsely arranged and gorgeously played. In a world of bald, bored exaggeration, such restraint and humility makes for a pleasant change of scenery. At the very least.
Dusted Review

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Wixel - Somewhere Between The Sun And The Moon (Debonair, 2008)

1 Fatigas Del Querer (5:02)
2 Outside Your Locked Heart (5:08)
3 Vaarwel (2:47)
4 You'll Be A Warming Wind From A Distant Sun (3:53)
5 Nowhere (5:27)
6 Burned And Blind (3:09)
7 Barefoot On The Surface Of The Sun (4:16)
8 Moon (4:15)
9 On My Way To The Moon (6:01)
10 Off You Go, Like A Setting Sun (2:01)

Ca commence à la guitare accoustique puis on se laisse flotter....

I can't do it. Write a "press text" about this record in order to convince people to buy this record. It's a necessity these days, but I simply can't write it because it feels so silly praising my own music. I'd rather describe what I think it sounds like, and what I tried to achieve. I feel it's more useful but probably not as efficient in a world where you have to scream and jump for the slightest bit of attention.

Here goes; To me, "Somewhere Between The Sun & The Moon" sounds exactly like the title. One moment the music sounds like it suffers the most intense fire ever, overwhelmed with warmth, brightness and hiss, the next moment it sounds like the chords are quietly floating, cut off from the world, cold and always distant. Just like the moon. I tried to make the songs sounds like a coherent whole balancing gracefully on the thin line between cinematic soundscapes and the subtle beauty of a melody that's left innocent and naked. I really like dense layers of sound where lots of details are tickling your ears, some begging for attention, but the most beautiful ones are all hidden in a wild stream of melodies and sounds. Think of Sonic Youth or Mogwai. To counter that, I can't deny my love for a simple single melody. In my world, it's the core of music. So sometimes you just leave a melody alone, which in itself can be incredibly beautiful. The record sounds more acoustic than electronic because the instrument I focus on is a cheap but faithfull acoustic nylon-guitar, i like the warmth and sincerity of it. It feels more honest to strum a chord, rather than to program it. Obviously I used some of my favourite instruments like a piano, my hohner organa and software electronics to colour the compositions. Some of them were recorded with my bedroom windows open wide.

I am pretty sure quite a few people will say this music could be compared to Fennesz, Helios and Sigur Ròs. And even though I see that as a compliment - because I bought about all their records and love them - they're of no direct influence on my music. I take much more inspiration from classical composers like John Cage and Morton Feldman, and from singer songerwriters like Phil Elverum and Adrian Orange. From Feldman I learned how to respect sound and silence. From Mount Eerie and Thanksgiving I appreciate their acoustic and honest approach to music. Less thought and humble means to create something true. Even though I claim it's really impossible to do something completely original, I do want to state that this record - much more than any other up until now - feels like a record that is me. A personal language/introspective painting that's completely free. I'm sure there will be people who claim it's totally boring, and that's fine with me. But if, for some reason, you like getting into this sort of music, I'm also relatively sure you'll find Somewhere Between the Sun and the Moon a warm home to spend some listening time.

I'm not that much in the mood to discuss the emotional side of things. But if you need some references, this music is melancholic, about parting ways, splitting, leaving (without the ability to say goodbye), being cut off, numbed out. There was not much happiness nor hope in the back of my mind when I recorded most of the songs. It's probably what people call a "winter" record or music to listen to when you are on your own. I don't mind the lack of happiness in the music, if you do, there are a lot of other good happy records out there. Maybe I'll make one of those in the future too.

humble greetings,

wim, Debonair

Wixel - Heart (MechanizedMind, 2005)

1 Zaventem (4:07)
2 A December Goodbye (7:25)
3 Breaking Up Sucks (8:00)
4 Distraction (4:29)
5 I Know I Tried (4:32)
6 Mirrors And Flowers (7:45)
7 You're Right On (4:14)
8 Your Home Is My Last Resort (6:03)

Disque introspectif à base de guitares accoustiques mélancoliques et d'électronique douce et chaude....

Wixel is the indietronica outfit of young Belgian Wim Maesschalck. His music can be described as a warm & organic mix of acoustic instruments and gentle electronic treatments with a lot of care for detail and subtle nuances. Comparisons have been made to bands ranging from Hood to Fennesz, from Manyfingers to Sigur Rós.
After several releases on small European CD-R labels like Soundzfromnowhere and Mechanized Mind, spring 2006 saw the release of Wixel's debut 'Heart'. The album generated quite some attention and resulted in several shows and appearances on compilations, including the Domino sampler that came free with the renowned British magazine Wire.
CD Baby

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Melodium - Anaemia (Audio Dregs, 2004)

1 Reality is Decaying
2 Iopak Bis
3 Floating Blood
4 Industrial Reminiscence I
5 Chan's Escape
6 Pseudo Anomali
7 Industrial Reminiscence II
8 Residual Song
9 Be Away
10 Platitudes & Cloportation
11 Felt Melt (Primitive Version)
12 Compose Organique Volatil II

Les mystères du journalisme musical veulent qu'on encense M83 et ignore le nouvel album de Melodium. Si les deux projets diffèrent sous bien des aspects, ils sont néanmoins proches dans leurs tentatives d'utiliser l'electronica pour construire des chapes de brume sonore.
Melodium aka Laurent Girard, pianiste de formation, est assez bon architecte dans le domaine. Sans révolutionner le genre, son électronique économe et assez inquiétante est faite de bruits étouffés, de pulsassions sourdes, de nappes de clavier et de bips sous-marins. A l'instar des productions de Morr Music, des disques d'Anne Laplantine ou de Lali Puna, "Aenemia" est ainsi une plongée dans un univers à la fois robotique et désuet, comme la rencontre du sampler et du sonar.
L'album s'écoute un peu comme se regarde la fin de "2001, L'Odyssée de l'Espace". C'est une traversée, une plongée dans un univers extra-terrestre et hors du temps, une musique qui privilégie l'imaginaire plutôt que le mélodique. Cette attitude révèle une certaine forme d'intransigeance artistique et force l'admiration.
Evidemment l'aspect vaporeux de la musique de Melodium ne favorise pas l'enthousiasme total. Pas de tubes, pas de mélodies à chanter sous la douche, pas de chansons qui réchauffent le coeur. Mais "Aenemia" se mérite peut-être à ce prix là. Et au fil des écoutes, on apprend à cerner les ritournelles semées par Melodium, telles "Iopak Bis", "Felt Melt" ou "Composé Organique", qui sont parmi les plus réussies et reposent sur une vraie belle construction mélodique. Ces morceaux-là n'ont rien à envier au "Kid A" de Radiohead.
Vous l'aurez compris, dans un monde parfait on nous parlerait autant de Melodium que de M83.
Popnews

I'm not so sure if Laurent Girard went all the way to suffer for his art since the album hardly shows deficiencies in melody. Maybe it's Girard's conservatory degree as a pianist that lead him to name this set of compositions 'Anaemia'. Melodium is at the crossroads of piano magic and glitsch harmony. But as he defies to be pigeon-holed, and as I would expect his work is too alien to most of his former students, the body of work is rather solid and groovy!
Rather than break new ground, Melodium is a today's pianist with his digital orchestra. Squelching sounds coming from the keyboards substitute for the horn section, the strings take on the melodies while Girard's superb piano play directs the compositions. Traditional by heart, Melodium is a conductor lost without his symphony orchestra. 'Anaemia' progresses from subdued excitement in 'Iopak Bis' to the dubby elektro acousitics of sound sketches like 'Pseudo Anomali'. The intermezzos reshuffle the seemingly false starts to pave the way for outright magnificent compositions. Classical by nature, Melodium succeeds in building layers and as distorted the mechanics sound at times, there is no juxtaposition. The layers read exactly the same as the composition does. 'Anaemia' instead reaches a beautiful spleen like momentum in 'Composé Organique Volatil II' which is the grand finale to a wonderful album.
-Maarten Schiethart, Penny Black

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Melodium - My Mind Is Falling to Pieces (Arbouse Recordings, 2008)

1. I've been here before

2. You're acting like you lost your mind

3. Kiss me, then shoot me

4. Christiane

5. A sort of happy melancholy

6. You could feel space and atoms

7. Death will take me away from this world

A la seconde où je vous parle de "My Mind Is Falling to Pieces", sachez qu'une nouvelle œuvre (encore plus neuve, je veux dire) dénommée "Cerebro Spin" est déjà disponible. Eh oui, c'est du Laurent Girard tout craché ça : pas le temps de souffler, que le touche-à-tout aspire déjà à emboîter le pas à son insatiable besoin de création. Les amateurs – dont je suis – ne s'en plaindront pas, car le Français a le don pour concilier la quantité avec la qualité, et ce, sans perdre un iota de crédibilité. Pour l'heure, c'est donc " My Mind Is Falling to Pieces" qui retient notre intérêt. Composé en 2006, c'est seulement depuis peu, sous l'estampille du label français Arbouse Recordings, que ce mini album sept titres (de 48 minutes quand même) s'offre au public. Et, pour rendre cette petite chose délicate encore plus intime, seul un tirage limité à cinq cents pièces sera disponible. Faut-il se ruer sur l'objet rare ? J'ai envie de dire oui. Oh, il ne s'agit pas de l'album du siècle, juste d'un immense vecteur d'émotions dans lequel chacun se retrouve un jour. En toute humilité, l'electro-bidouilleur nous plonge dans une atmosphère cotonneuse particulièrement mélancolique. En guise de décor : rien d'autre qu'une épaisse couche de brume. Assiégé, le corps n'a d'autre alternative que d'oublier qu'il existe, et lâche prise. Dans ce no man's land, seul demeure l'esprit. Léger et libre, il s'abandonne au méandre ambiant jusqu'à ce que, guidé par le murmure rassurant de notre hôte, il finisse par emprunter une voie moins sombre : "A Sort of Happy Melancholy". Le voile opaque tombe et s'ouvre, alors, une petite pièce chaude, enluminée de guitares acoustiques. La mélopée qui s'y diffuse est bougrement réconfortante mais ne dure qu'un temps. Subrepticement, le cycle infernal enfile son habit de pluie, les rayons lumineux ne parviennent plus à transpercer la brume latente et l'atrabile répand à nouveau sa noirceur élégiaque, jusqu'à la prochaine éclaircie. Ainsi va la vie : "Kiss Me, Then Shoot Me".

David Vertessen Pop News

Since his first 7" release in 1999, Frenchman Laurent Girard has been quietly carving out a niche and making a name for himself in the world of ambient electronic music. Released on a multitude of different labels (Static Caravan, audio dregs, Autres Directions in Music) under the name Melodium, Girard's catalogue is as sizeable as it is impressive – My Mind Is Falling To Pieces is his twelfth CD album, and audio dregs are imminently about to release number thirteen.

And while there are hordes of bearded laptop composers scattered throughout Europe's towns and cities, Girard is particularly noteworthy for combining gentle ambient soundscapes with more human elements, such as folky acoustic guitars and his limited yet charming vocals. Another important ingredient is humour; 2005's La Tete Qui Flotte featured a track titled Greg Davis > Craig David, which still raises a smile to this day. Although its name would suggest otherwise, My Mind Is Falling To Pieces is no different in this respect.

Although sufficiently impressed to award it a 7/10 rating, I noted that 2007's self-release Vilnius lacked the personal touch that had helped to propel his earlier works beyond those of his contemporaries. At the time I wondered whether Girard might be running out of steam and ideas.Thankfully My Mind Is Falling To Pieces has quashed these doubts in the most emphatic fashion: it's arguably his strongest recording to date.

Key to the album's success is the way in which Girard's voice, guitar work and electronic compositions are moulded together. It all sounds seamless. Previously certain movements within tracks have sounded clumsy, with programmed beats struggling to keep time with harshly strummed acoustic guitars. Here, however, Girard's delicate finger-picked guitar patterns dance happily over the whirling synths and sparse beats. Tracks like the superb folk-infused finale Death Will Take Me Away From This World represent a real leap forward in terms of composition and performance. The faint tape hiss of old has been replaced by a new professional sheen, but this step up in production values has not come at the expense of character.

My Mind Is Falling To Pieces confirms Laurent Girard's place at the top table of European electronic music. Latecomers to the Melodium party would do well to start their obsession here.

Noripcord

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Melodium - Cerebro Spin (Audio Dregs, 2008)

1. Choanal Imperforation

2. Eustachian Tube

3. Not Yet 1

4. Kissing Disease

5. Meniere's Vertigo

6. Not Yet 2

7. Social Phobia

8. Vocal Cord Polypus

9. Not Yet 3

10. Panic Disorder

11. Scoliosis + Astigmatism

Dans ce monde stressant, plein d’incertitude, il y a des repères qui rassurent : Noel, puis les voeux, puis la galette des rois, puis les crèpes de la chandeleur, puis les oeufs en chocolat à Pâques. En musique, il y a des artisans qui ont un rythme de croisière : ainsi donc nous chroniquons ce qui est déjà le quatrième album de Melodium. La recette est inchangée : "j ’ai enregistré tout seul (comme d’habitude) et chez moi (comme d’hab’ aussi), explique Girard. J’ai utilisé des samples d’instruments (violoncelle, clarinette, flute...) et ai assemblé des mélodies note par note, ce qui est un peu laborieux. " Laborieux pour l’artiste certes, mais charmants pour les amateurs de détails sonores que nous sommes. "Sinon j’ai joué moi-même de la guitare et des claviers" ajoute l’artiste. Voici donc une musique moitié organique, moitié électronique, qui a le charme des boites à musique de notre enfance et un petit côté "comptines du futur" qui n’est pas pour nous déplaire. Allez, merci pour ces petites musiques idéales pour se laisser bercer, et à l’année prochaine Laurent.
M la Music

Laurent Girard, or Melodium as he’s known, creates some very dreamy sounds indeed on his latest album of mainly instrumental music, Cerebro Spin. Displaying clever usage of slower time signatures, particularly the drum programming/sampling throughout, Melodium’s world is a gentle place, it’s nuances not unlike those displayed by Scott Heron’s gorgeous Savath & Savalas project. The composer from France is no slouch either, with an output of 10 albums in 7 years or so.

Throughout Cerebro Spin, there are explorations of military drum parradiddles, heavily chorused and flanged guitars, gently tinkling and padded keys, flute lines meandering like snakes and a splash of psyche-lite thrown in for good measure (such as back masking, harmonium and muted trumpets).

A track such as “Kissing Disease” with it’s fragile piano and spoken word overlay wouldn’t sound out of place on the Yann Tierssen “ Amelie” soundtrack. Elsewhere, classical guitar pieces nestle alongside skittish acoustic cut ups. There’s a neo-classical feel to “Panic Disorder” and “Not Yet 2” sees Girard convert his sound to folk pop, complete with hazy vocal and warm synth melodies.

The album is an enjoyable listen that I suspect will reward the listener upon repeated visits, it’s only flaw is that the production on the tracks is quite samey, with similar instrumental structures (as varied as they may be) used throughout.

Lyndon Pike, Cyclic Defrost

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Music for Toys (MonsterK7, 2008)

1. CHAPI CHAPO & LES PETITES MUSIQUES DE PLUIE (FEAT. PIERRE CASTOR) - Lémétentateurs!
2. SETSUKO.Ø - Mi Pequena Monstra
3. PLAMO - Lonesome Toyger
4. FLEXION FLUTE - Trois petits chats
5. THE APPRECIATION SOCIETY - Clap Sing Disappear
6. UKE - No Somos Bolcheviques
7. LES MINIATURES VERTS - Samourai Rose
8. BACANAL INTRUDER - 1-2-3-4
9. DAVID FENECH - Toy Storrible
10. KIRA KIRA - Hjartafanturinn skrjafar
11. BILBAO - Lilas
12. .TAPE. - French Kiki
13. BALÙN - Minumina
14. PEQUENA FIERA - Whistle I'll be Around
15. LA RAINBOW TOYS ORCHESTRA - Dumbo en el paìs de las maravillas
16. TOYCHESTRA - Nurse
17. TYCHO BRAHE - Raviolis
18. TOP MONTAGNE - Igrouchki
19. TEENAGE SYMPHONY - Lucky
20. THE UNTELEPORTED ASTEROID - Unteleported Telephone
21. O'FOLK BROTHERS - The Letter
22. KAWAII - Le Chaudron

Boîte à meuh, toy piano, melodica, flûteau, boîte à musique, xylophone et trompette en plastique, hochets, clochettes et grelots, MonsterK7, sort de sa malle un festival qui fleure bon l’enfance : Music for Toys est entièrement consacré aux musiciens qui recourent aux jouets musicaux.
.......

« Les instruments jouets ont un côté fragile et une énorme valeur sentimentale. Ils sont aussi très accessibles, n’importe qui peut prendre un instrument d’enfant et en jouer », expliquent Anne et Gary, le duo de MonsterK7, organisateurs de l’événement.

Music for Toys se déploie en trois lieux parisiens convoquant des musiciens qui bricolent avec ces jouets et les incorporent dans des compositions pop, folk ou électro. A découvrir, ce jeudi soir au Divan du monde, la folk mélancolique de Michael Wookey entouré de son Toy Cabaret, la musique ludique de Kawaii, les sets d’impro d’Emmanuel Rébus avec culbutos et boîtes à musique.

Le lendemain, on prêtera une oreille à Bertram Wooster, rennais multiinstrumentiste qui enrobe ses poèmes d’instruments rigolos ou encore aux airs enfantins de The Appreciation Society dans le jardin du Monte-en l’air. Plus expérimental, David Fenech fera couiner et grincer ses jouets au Glazar’t samedi, aux côtés de Setsuko.o et Pequena Fiera. Artistes qu’on retrouve sur la compilation douce amère que les MonsterK7 sortent à cette occasion. « Nous avions donc déjà édité une compilation K7 Ode au toy piano (épuisée, mais en libre téléchargement ici) au tout début de MonsterK7 car c’est l’instrument jouet par excellence. Nous avons souhaité étendre l’expérience ».

Comptines bancales, notes approximatives, dissonantes, stridentes, la tonalité de ces jouets musicaux donnent une touche nostalgique, fragile, comme cassée à cette étrange et touchante compilation lo-fi regroupant une vingtaine de morceaux, dont la petite musique triste de Chapi Chapo, le duo espagnol Uke avec son Nos somos bolcheviques, le Japonais vidéoludique Plamo ou les cinq américaines de l’excentrique Toyorchestra. La compilation est disponible sous forme de K7 audio (dont la jaquette comporte un lien pour télécharger les morceaux en mp3), vendue cinq petits euros pour soutenir ce petit festival entièrement gratuit.

Libération

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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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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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Melodium - A Slight Difference in Air Pressure (Disasters By Choices, 2002)

01		Thoughts Are Made Of Plastic (6:22)
02		Kyuten (4:16)
03		Ystyc 100 (2:54)
04		Emissions Des Sources Mobiles (7:29)
05		Life In A File (3:20)
06		Interruption Sonore (3:16)
07		Ystyc 2 (3:38)
08		Deux Heures Par Minute (9:53)
09		Ipal & Imal (4:38)
10		How To Make Music Within A Box (7:30)
11		Dirty Reprises (5:53)

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Origamibiro - Cracked Mirrors and Stopped Clocks (Expanding Records, 2007)

1		Unravelled In Wreathes (2:27)
2		Noshi (3:39)
3		Poised From The Bulb (2:37)
4		Dissect Ephemeral (3:06)
5		Womb Duvet (4:28)
6		The Last Of Its Leaves (2:20)
7		Remnants (5:02)
8		Gathers In Puddles (3:34)
9		Vitreous Detachment (4:49)
10		Cracked Mirrors And Stopped Clocks (4:18)
11		Unkown In The Walls (4:39)
12		No More Counterfeit Bliss (5:01)

Tom Hill is perhaps best known for his work as one half of electronica duo Wauvenfold and for the Penfold Plum moniker he uses for his solo output, but for this, his Expanding Records debut he's chosen the rather enigmatic heading of Origamibiro. Gone are the more angular beat contortions of Wauvenfold, Hill instead favouring a sound centred on his nylon-strung acoustic guitar and some finely spun, computer-aided audio treatments. 'Dissect Ephemeral' is one of those beautifully sewn together pieces of acoustic electronica that brings to mind Kim Hiorthoy or Manyfingers at their most overtly mellifluous. Following on immediately from this, 'Womb Duvet' is every bit as warm and cosy as its title suggests, with muffled, bass-heavy pads and hiss-laden crackling beats scuttling along delicately in the background. It brings back fond memories of the early Hobby Industries output. 'Remnants' is similarly lovely, sounding not unlike The Gentleman Losers for all its dusty post-rock beauty. Another key point of reference would be the first two Colleen albums: Hill's looping treatment of string instruments is certainly in that same other-worldly mold. A thoroughly beautiful listen which you'd do well to investigate without delay...

Boomkat

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Part Timer - Part Timer (Moteer, 2006)

Unwritten Letter To No.9
We Made A Big Mistake
Daytona
Thinking, Unthinking
When I’ve Breathed My Last (Interlude)
Sad Little Dennis
It Only Means
My Friends
Rain On My Window (Part Two)
Be
Hear To Something
End Of The Line

The latest release from The Remote Viewer's Moteer label sees John McCaffrey (a constituent part of Clickits) going it alone for his debut record under his autonomous moniker of Part Timer. Sounding like a lost English Folk classic, the eponymous LP is a dusty coalition of tender melodies and faded compositions that reveal their vibrant history through subtle flourishes - with McCaffrey instinctively knowing when to leave something out as much as put something in. Opening through 'Unwritten Letter To No. 9', some tape treated guitar is teased into life atop a skipping stone of electronics and warm melodies, with an intimate atmosphere crafted from the hearth-like ingredients. Taking this tender atmosphere and giving it a vocal axis courtesy of the Empress' Nicola Hodgkinson, 'We Made A Big Mistake' is up next and provides a definite highlight - as a water-clogged batch of instrumentation is sent swirling by the poignant lyrics and subtle production flourishes that are best seen from the corner of your eye. Sharing an evident heritage with the likes of Mum and The Boats, 'We Made A Big Mistake' also gives a nod to the aural lint of Jan Jelinek et al. - a situation made all the more pronounced by the next track 'Daytona'. Easing you in through a flutter of mealy crackles, a delicate guitar is soon given room to blossom - never quite peaking as you expect and as such instilling proceedings with a fabulously piquant sense of something being not quite right. Elsewhere, 'Thinking, Unthinking' is another vocal cut that sees the lyrics being spun backwards and forwards to satisfying effect, 'Hear... To Something' is an energetic coming together of EFX, acoustics and ribald beats (think Four Tet's 'Tangle'), whilst 'It Only Means' slips in some old-skool female vocals amongst it's thicket of thrumming instrumentation.

Boomkat

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Melodium - Hum Hum & Bla Bla (Autres Directions in Music, 2005)

Untitled 1 (1:25)
Hellomusic (Ochre Remix) (7:05)
Untitled 2 (2:47)
Interlude Pour [Chiens] Depressifs (Audioroom Remix) (2:56)
Untitled 3 (2:59)
Untitled 4 (2:22)
Untitled 5 (3:41)
La Fin De Tout (Marsen Jules Remix) (4:00)

Here comes the Hum Hum & Bla Bla EP from Melodium, a french artist with his own quirky style of music. His work is a lot more electroacoustic and instrumental than electronic in nature. The instrumental nature of the EP also makes it sound more human.

The EP is also slightly experimental with the use of irregular sounding clicks and pops and lots of other weird but overall mellow sounds. In the midst of all the varied sound sources lies very nice musical arrangements that won’t disappoint.

Favourite tracks:
Hellomusic (Ochre remix)
Sounding almost classical in nature, a strange contrast is brought about in the listening experience by the clicky and poppy percussion that goes on for most of the track. The track transforms itself beautifully as it progresses in an almost strange manner for most electronic music which involves just adding more harmonies and playing louder. Leveraging on the concept of dynamics that most electronic musicians forget about. The only complaint I have about the track is that the percussion doesn’t sit that nicely in the mix during the later parts.

Untitled 5
This track sounds like it started its life as a pop piano piece. Sprinkle in glitchy sounding percussion, strings and uplifting arpeggiated synths and you have a kind of playful pop piece that sounds like it belongs in a vintage videogame.

La fin de tout (Marsen Jules remix)
A perfect ender track for the EP. Guitar chords and melodies are superimposed with the sounds of atmospheric pads and a synth that wails on in the background echoing memories of farewells that are both beautiful and sad at the same time.

Gratisvibes

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Melodium - La Tête qui Flotte (Autres Directions in Music, 2005)

Hellomusic (4:06)
Les Psychotropes Sont Mes Amis, Puis Mes Ennemis... (3:46)
Se Rayer Provisoirement De La Liste Des Vivants (3:33)
Kill Me With A Smile (3:36)
Emptykuerten (3:36)
Le Creux Est Ma Matière Première (3:34)
L’Attachement Aux Symptômes (3:42)
Mon Baromètre Mental (2:51)
Interlude Pour Dépressifs (2:08)
Gamm-recomposé (4:56)
Marcher A L’Envers Dans Nantes-Atlantique (2:28)
Greg Davis > Craig David (1:32)
La Chanson De Laïs-Salomé (1:19)
La Fin De Tout (2:46)
La Vie Est Plus Belle Depuis... (2:40)

Most electronic music is preoccupied with the beat. There are a number of reasons for this, both historical and technological, but it has only been in recent years that musicians have begun to truly explore the possibilities of melody in an electronic context. In the past few years artists such as Four Tet and M83 (to name just a couple) have successfully placed the concept of melody-driven electronic music at the forefront of the scene. This is not to say that they were the first artists to do so—but the creation of an entire subgenre of electronic music dedicated to the manipulation of acoustic—or pseudo-acoustic—melodies is definitely a recent development.

Electronic music hinges on the malleability of sound, the ability of musicians to take simple and familiar sounds and transform them into something unfamiliar, exotic and provocative. There’s no reason why the acoustic guitar and piano shouldn’t be as ripe with potential as the drum kit and synthesizer. The creation of an entire new sub-genre—the deceptively named “folktronica”—to describe this phenomenon was inevitable, given the rapid, maniacal drive towards speciation in the electronic music community. It’s not a particularly accurate or descriptive label, but hey, neither are IDM or UK garage / two-step (whu-huh?).

In any event, Melodium’s La T&#234te Qui Flotte is a veritable feast of fragile, intricate melodic composition. Melodium (a contraction of “melody” and “medium"), is Laurent Giraud, and with the exception of a handful of vocal bits and string samples, every noise on La T&#234te Qui Flotte has been created, processed and edited by him. The effect is startling, sparse and ethereal.

Many tracks, such as “Les psychotropes sont mes ami, puis mes ennemis...” and “Le creux est ma mati&#232re premi&#232re”, begin with a familiar acoustic noise, such as a gentle piano melody or acoustic guitar chord being fingered, and then elaborate on said melody, introducing layers of altered sound until the entire song is filled. Percussion is created from what sounds like a wide variety of found noises—hand claps, snapping fingers, knocking on wood—morphed and transformed into something unmistakably organic. The patterns are intricate but by no means distracting. The overall effect is pleasingly pastoral.

In other instances, the tracks begin strangely and expands outward. For instance, “Se rayer provisoirement de la liste des vivants” begins with a droning wheeze, like a bit of phantom guitar feedback, until suddenly transforming into a pendulous guitar chord strumming against the backdrop of haunting, discordant string samples. Even when more conventional percussion is utilized, as on “Kill me with a smile”, which features something resembling a conventional electronic breakbeat, the effect is alien. Juxtaposed against the universe of warped acoustics on display, the comparatively normal elements are transformed.

Certainly, La T&#234te Qui Flotte is nowhere near as ambitious as it could have been. Girard seems happy, in most cases, to craft comparatively minor arrangements, at least in comparison to some of his more cosmic-minded peers in the world of electronic music. But still, on tracks like “Emptykuerten” and “La vie est plus belle depuis...”, Melodium succeeds in opening up entirely new vistas through surprisingly humble means. The overall effect is invigorating.

Pop Matters

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Melodium - Music for Invisible People (Autres Directions in Music, 2006)

As his previous album, La Tete Qui Flotte, was being warmly welcomed, the prolific Laurent Girard aka Melodium started working on the new step in his discography. Encouraged by an acclaim both from the public and the media, as the sunny days of 2005 were on their way back, he composed his most orchestrated album to date : Music For Invisible People which is about to be released now, just before the coming of winter.

On La Tete Qui Flotte, Melodium had the courage to open the doors to acoustic guitars and pop melodies, which gave a great breath of air to his chamber electronica. He was at the same time revealing himself as a singer on a duet with his girlfriend. A surprising singer with sorts of lyrics, to be exact. With Music For Invisible People, this opening has been pushed yet one step further : here the guitars (1 being electric) are queens, and he sings everything himself. In an atmosphere as intimate as hospitable.

Composed during a summer stay on the isle of Oleron, most of the time sitting in a garden, then reworked and arranged at home (flutes, melodicas, xylophone, keyboards, jembes, computer), this new album rid of complexes marks a new stage on the route of this artist. It’s a quiet and matured release, that offers in turns beautiful sunny songs -although stamped by a certain melancholy- and others, turmoiled and romantic. More pop and more folk, Music For Invisible People is an organic whole, extremely melodious.

Autres Directions

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