Arriving hot on the heels of his excellent contribution
to Active Suspension’s recent compilation Active
Suspension V. Clapping Music and a three seven
inch box set, Pellicule is the first album
by visual artist Davide Balula. Already known and respected
in the French contemporary art circles, Balula now expands
his artistic contribution to music, with this compelling
collection of electronic/acoustic songs.
Hailing from Annecy in the French Alps, Balula trained
in plastic arts. Adapting his approach to concrete structures
to a less palpable medium, he produces one of the most
interesting records heard on Active Suspension. Using
his acoustic guitar as main mean of expression, he then
processes the result to shape his compositions at will.
Developing his uncanny folk experience around simple
chords on which he attaches droplet-like glitches, Balula
sculpt intense atmospheric songs, at time reminiscent
of American Music Club or Red House Painters. Yet, by
deconstructing his melodies and injecting elements of
environmental sounds, based on samples ranging from
household appliances to a mopped, he subversively corrupts
the very essence of his music and uncovers far less
definite sonic fields. Unsettling, Pellicule
certainly is. From the delicate and almost straightforward
Eburn (9V), apparently documenting the sensations
felt when a 9 volt battery touch the tongue, to the
elaborate ambience of Um So Piolio, Balula
draws a composite picture of his persona, retreating
behind complex structures as to protect himself from
bright lights. Using a mixture of French, English and
Portuguese, Balula’s singing is as shady and discreet
as his music. The voice, often used as an extra sonic
layer rather than to convey any clear messages, appears
lazy and distant, yet it also acts as a distinct focal
element amongst these vast soundscapes, imperceptibly
directing the attention from one context to the next.
Pellicule reveals its intrinsic beauty with
time, as the crippled melodies and deceptive inertia
become less distracting with each listen, and the uneasy
dichotomy of sound appears substantially more symbiotic.
Balula’s gift for precise constructions and imaginative
use of electronic elements sets his work apart from
the wave of musicians evolving in a similar post-folk
field. Pellicule is a singular piece of work
and deserves to be listened to again and again.
4.6/5 |
