With her first album, Everyone
Alive Wants Answers, Colleen’s Cécile
Schott crafted a superb piece of electronic folk, which
not only showcased her great ability at assembling beautiful
sonic constructions, but also highlighted her impeccable
taste for crystalline atmospheres. Following this first
effort, Colleen found herself very much in demand, not
only in her native France, but also across Europe, giving
her the opportunity to develop a very unique live set.
Paris-born and bred Colleen first emerged with the seven
inch Babies, released on French label Active
Suspension, in 2002. Although a relatively discreet
release, this single was enough for head of Leaf Tony
Morley to invite her to record her first full length
for his label, Leaf, and Everyone
Alive Wants Answers followed a year later.
Despite the delicate melodies and soundscapes used throughout,
the album was actually built using processed samples,
with only rare acoustic elements filtering through.
For The Golden Morning Breaks, Cécile
Schott has swapped electronics for proper instruments,
some familiar to her – she used to play in a series
of noise rock and pop bands before setting off on her
own – and some she learned to play especially.
This need for live instrumentation came out of Schott’s
realisation that she wouldn’t be able to reproduce
the delicate soundscapes of Everyone
Alive Wants Answers on stage. She therefore
developed a set based around acoustic instruments, which
would lead her to this beautifully poetic sophomore
album.
Taking its title from a work by sixteenth century English
composer John Dowland, The Golden Morning Breaks
builds on the sonic range established throughout its
predecessor, yet takes the listener into totally new
grounds, reminiscent in part of Vespertine-era
Björk. As well
as her live performances feeding this record, Colleen
also found inspiration in her growing record collection,
taking elements from Dowland’s lute songs as well
as seventeenth century compositions for viola da gamba,
an ancestor to the modern cello, twentieth century composition
and various musical techniques originating from Africa
and Asia. As she incorporates all these elements into
her very personal compositions, Schott unveils magnificent
waves of sounds and textures wrapped around fragile
melodies. Although the fruit of meticulous recording
sessions, The Golden Morning Breaks appears
as refreshing as a Spring shower and as radiant as a
warm summer day. All along the first nine tracks, Schott
introduces various atmospheric elements, building each
track around new sonorities, before bringing them all
together in the ten-minute finale Everything Lay
Still.
With this second album, Colleen brings her original
soundscapes to life and explores a more organic and
instinctive way of working. The Golden Morning Breaks
is a radical departure from its predecessor, yet Schott
interestingly manages to retain the delicate nature
of her debut and, as she applies the same meticulous
approach, she totally transcends the poetry of her music
to create one of the most fascinating records likely
to be released all year.
4.7/5 |
