Female electronic musicians are still a surprisingly
rare occurrence despite the likes of Mira
Calix or more recently Mileece,
already on Leaf, demonstrating that electronic music
put in the hands of a woman becomes a more sensual and
poetic medium. The arrival of Colleen can therefore
only be good news Hailing from Paris, 26-year old Cecile
Schott follows the release of a first seven inch single,
Babies, on Active Suspension at the end of
last year with her first album, published on the ever
excellent London-based Leaf Label.
Colleen’s first single revealed an interesting
take on electronic music, close to some of Susumu
Yokota’s more atmospheric recordings. Everyone’s
Alive Wants Answers explores very similar territories,
expanding these rich soundscapes and ornate melodies
over forty minutes, in which music boxes, children’s
voices, acoustic guitars, glockenspiels and crackles
swirl around with astonishing consistency, emphasising
the hypnotic nature of the music. Devoid of any beat
element, apart from the muffled sound of a heart beating
on A Swimming Pool Down The Railway Track,
the rhythmic structures of the compositions are entirely
set around the orchestration, giving this album an almost
orchestral feel. Schott’s delicate constructions
all seem to merge into one another, yet each piece is
highly original and unique. Schott applies parsimonious
touches of sonic colours and textures highlighting the
essence of her music. Tantalising the listener’s
mind with discreet references to seventies psychedelia
and ethereal touches, she only suggests images and thoughts,
never forcing any context onto her audience. There is
an element of cinematic grandeur to this album, but
all the compositions appear extremely self-contained,
as if nothing could come to disturb the blissful atmospheres.
And it is the juxtaposition of these perfectly formed
little worlds that give this album its surreal beauty.
As protected from the infernal torment of city life
by the mesmerising ambiences and warm blankets of sounds,
Cecile Schott defines her own rules and injects in her
music a big slice of child-like innocence and naivety.
The beautiful title track, which opens the album, with
its elliptic melody and birdsongs, sets the tone for
the entire album. As the main musical line seem to progress
with difficulty, it rapidly appears that it is only
there to distract from the crystalline backdrop. I
Was Deep In A Dream And I Didn’t Know It,
Babies or A Swimming Pool Down The Railway
Track show Schott evolving on similar grounds.
Elsewhere, she seem to strip her music down to its bare
essentials, on Ritournelle, Carry-Cot,
Goodbye Sunshine or In The Train With No
Lights, giving these tracks a more melancholic
twist by applying darker layers of sound.
Everyone Alive Wants Answers is a beautifully
dreamy record, yet, Cecile Schott doesn’t indulge
in ambient gimmicks. Instead, she builds her little
vignettes with great care to reveal challenging, yet
captivating, ever-changing soundscapes. A masterpiece.
4.7/5 |
