s w e e t b e a t s
june.10.2003 - #1179
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artist : Colleen
album : Everyone Alive Wants Answers
year : 2003
label : Leaf
genre : Electronic
catalogue : bay 31 cd
url : www.posteverything.com/leaf/
quality : CD 192k HQ True Stereo
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01.Everyone Alive Wants Answers 03:31
02.Ritournelle 03:09
03.Carry-Cot 01:53
04.Your Heart on Your Sleeve 02:46
05.Goodbye Sunshine 02:49
06.One Night & It's Gone 03:42
07.Long Live Mice in the Metro 02:50
08.I Was Deep in A Dream & I Didn't Know it 02:56
09.Babies 03:34
10.Sometimes on A Happy Cloud 01:55
11.A Swimming Pool Down the Railway Track 04:14
12.In the Train with No Lights 02:02
13.Nice & Simple 04:20
13 tracks | 39:41 mins | 54,7 MB
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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.
ColleenÆs first single revealed an interesting take on electronic
music, close to some of Susumu YokotaÆs more atmospheric
recordings. EveryoneÆs Alive Wants Answers explores very similar
territories, expanding these rich soundscapes and ornate melodies
over forty minutes, in which music boxes, childrenÆs 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.
SchottÆs 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 listenerÆs 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 DidnÆt 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 doesnÆt indulge in ambient gimmicks. Instead, she
builds her little vignettes with great care to reveal challenging,
yet captivating, ever-changing soundscapes. A masterpiece.
--themilkfactory.co.uk
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s w e e t b e a t s
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greetings to kw, dps, sour, diss, dh, ms, tr & ube
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