Artist.......: Melodium
Album........: My Mind is Falling to Pieces
Label........: arbouse recordings
Genre........: Electronic
Catnr........: arbou020
source.......: CDDA
rip.date.....: Sep-12-2008
str.date.....: Jun-16-2008
quality......: VBR/44,1Hz/Joint-Stereo
Url..........: http://www.arbouserecordings.com
track title time
01. I've Been Here Before 07:32
02. You're Acting Like You Lost Your Mind 05:02
03. Kiss Me, Then Shoot Me 08:53
04. Christiane 06:02
05. A Sort of Happy Melancholy 03:48
06. You Could Feel Space and Atomb 08:34
07. Death Will Take Me Away form this World 08:43
Runtime 48:34 min
Size 53,6 MB
Release Notes:
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 û 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.