Barely
a year on from their wonderful debut album, sisters
Bianca and Sierra Casady return with Noah’s
Ark. Like its predecessor, this collection of honest
broken pop songs covers a wide range of influences,
yet nothing is spelt out clearly, leaving the listeners
to find their own way around and draw their own conclusions
on a record likely to disconcert as much as it enchants.
Born in different states, Sierra and Bianca Casady spent
part of their formative years apart. They got reunited
in 2003 when Bianca, who was then travelling around
the world, unexpectedly turned up on Sierra’s
doorstep in Paris, where she was studying to become
an opera singer. Followed a few months of wild recordings
in Sierra’s bathroom, eventually collected on
La Maison De Mon
Rêve, a first album full of rebellious
spirit and ingenious pop songs.
While this debut album was recorded in the intimacy
of Sierra’s flat, with no interactions from the
outside world, Noah’s Ark was conceived
in a variety of locations, ranging from a barn in the
Camargue region of France, where their mother lives
or their home in Brooklyn to a studio in Paris and a
hotel room while on tour. This impacts clearly on the
songs. The sonic palette used on this album is far richer
than on its predecessor. A toy piano, phone rings, animal
noises or a music box layered over or against an acoustic
guitar, a harp or a piano define each one of the twelve
songs collected here. Completing the picture are collaborations
with folk free spirit Devendra Banhart (Brazilian
Sun), the incandescent Antony & The Johnsons
(Beautiful Boyz, a superb ode to French novelist
Jean Genet) and CocoRosie’s live collaborator
Spleen (K-Hole, The Sea Is Calm, Bisounours).
CocoRosie’s intoxicating pop songs have considerably
matured too. The melodies are sharper, at once more
complex and more delicate, while the lyrics continue
to draw poetic circles all over this album.
From the surrealism of K-Hole to the innocence
of The Sea Is Calm, the raw romanticism of
Beautiful Boyz or the sensuality of Brazilian
Sun, Noah’s Ark evocative power
never cease to captivate. Each new song sees the Casady
sisters approaching from a different angle to add another
precious stone to their impressive collection. Although
it is difficult to highlight any particular song without
overlooking the rest of this perfect record, Beautiful
Boyz, South 2nd, Armageddon and
Brazilian Sun are particularly stunning heart-wrenching
moments.
This follow-up to CocoRosie’s wonderful debut
certainly underpins the sisters’ unusual sonic
landscapes and offbeat pop, but it also unveils some
new grounds and ambiences. Here, Bianca and Sierra Casady
expends on their original atmospheres without in any
way corrupting the nature of their music. A true masterpiece.
5/5 |
