Les Discrets – Ariettes Oubliees . . .

 
I have no idea what to say about this album.

I think it’s brilliant. I think the soundscapes that Fursy Teyssier has created are wondrous and majestic. I think that the contributions of vocalist Audrey Hadorn are immaculate in their beauty. I think that the complexities of the musical movements are intriguing and dynamic. I think the tones are dark and foreboding. I think that Ariettes Oubliees . . . is a fantastic musical experience that begs for me to listen again and again, and at ever increasing volume. And, I think that I’m going a little mad trying to formulate a cohesive set of thoughts about this record!

The album opener is an instrumental track called “Linceul d'hiver” that is simply a beautiful, slow building mini epic. Teyssier does a great job of not rushing this song. It builds measure by measure, each measure adding a new musical element, filling all of the open space with sound, until we’re left with this densely intense wall of sound. Then, it vanishes and begins to fade away, only to drop immediately into “La Traversée” and then we, the listeners, are introduced to the dual vocal harmonies of Teyssier and Hadorn, each voice complimenting the other over a passage of strumming guitars, droning in a shoegazers fantastic voyage. Gloriously dynamic and epic, this song changes pace about three minutes in and gets a little darker, a little moodier, a little more distorted around the edges and heavier. Though the song ventures into some progressive territories, it always retains some beautiful melodies, both in the way of the haunting strains of the guitars notes and in the vocals. The song even flirts with a little heavy metal moment around the six minute mark as a well produced and captured guitar tone, distorted to the point it vibrates the teeth, but not so much that it rattles the head. The first ten-plus minutes of this album was enough for me to recognize that this was going to be a different experience than I had with the band’s first album, my beloved album of 2010, Septembre et Ses Dernières Pensées. A different experience, but maybe one that was more satisfying!

The beauty doesn’t end there. “Le Mouvement perpetual” is another 7 minute track that captures Teyssier and Hadorn feeding off each other in their elegant fashion. When I hear this song, I can almost picture the images from the album cover (vinyl edition . . . beautiful gatefold jacket . . . bonus poster . . . quality work) coming to life. Skeletal images dressed in their finest evening attire, elegantly dancing a discordant waltz across the parquet floors of a ballroom, draped in dark curtains, lit by the soft light of a meager amount of candles, and led by a dark and somewhat sinister band . . . the voices of Teyssier and Hadorn actually have a dancing quality to them, in the way they work together, breathe together . . . entwined in the rhythms of the music. Darkly romantic, almost gothic. What an amazingly emotional song!

The entire album does this . . . get’s the imagination flowing, tickling the emotions, and flooding the soul with music that moves. For over forty-two minutes, Les Discrets regale the listener this delicate sound that still has some heft to it. The pop-tinged “La nuit muette” features a huge vocal performance, layered voices that soar and never come back down. The acoustic guitar-based “Après l' Ombre”, also featured on the Prophecy Productions compilation album, Whom The Moon A Nightsong Sings, with all of its haunting tones and darkened chords, and tortured vocal melodies. “Les Regrets”, in all of its instrumental glory, with its ultra-somber, almost depressive air . . . Ariettes Oubliees is an amazing trip into the darkest recesses of the emotions and human psyche.

On the first listen, I was concerned that Ariettes Oubliees . . . wouldn’t match up or live up to my expectations based on my past experience with Septembre et Ses Dernières Pensées, and like all things new, it almost didn’t. But, I continued listening, working to separate my memories of the previous record from the sounds I was currently listening to, and I found an equally satisfying record. Top 10 Album of the Year? I can’t answer that, for the year is young and there are a lot of records coming out this year. But, I can say that I will probably be playing this disc, like I did the last one . . . in between every other release that comes out. Great work and highly recommended!

Pope

www.lesdiscrets.com
www.prophecyproductions.de

Syven – Aikaintaite

There are a number of ways people use to “get back to nature”. Some grab some camping gear and pitch a tent in the middle of a forest for a few days. Some strap on a back pack and hike amongst the indigenous flora and fauna. And some, well . . . some commune in the great outdoors by themselves or a very small group and strum the kantele and chant to the stars. The latter example may be a little on the extreme side of things or a overly simplistic explanation of what Syven are all about, but sometimes it’s best to dumb things down for the masses to make a subject more understandable. That’s not to say that the average Waverider needs anything simplified, but this writer kinda’ does. This is me with a shovel digging myself deeper. On to the record!

Syven’s Aikaintaite album is a grandiose, spectacular, epic journey into the backlands of one’s mind and all set to tribal thrum of primordial rhythms and chants. The music is anchored by the traditional Finnish string instrument called the kantele and supported by ambient waves of synths, thundering rhythms, the occasional electrical guitar, and all enhanced by a variety of vocalizations ranging from mournful wails, tribal chants, and guttural growls. Mix all of these wondrous sounds together and embrace a uniform sound as haunting as the wind howling through the trees of a forest and as serene as a crisp breeze across the surface of a mountain lake.

“Jaljet” is a mesmerizing, near twenty-minute journey into sonic exploration that mixes huge ambient swells complete with chirping birds and various sounds from woodland creatures, even a little trickling stream for good measure. The synths cast a drapery of weight over the entire landscape and the shamanistic vocals chants leave one feeling as if their witnessing the world come alive with the rising of the morning sun. The overall tone has a somber feel, but never depressive. More akin to realizing how inferior and mortal we are as a species in comparison to the grandness of Mother Nature. Around the four minute mark, the rhythms become a little heavier, the electric guitars a little louder, the guttural chants more ominous, and the plucking strings of the kantele more plaintive, ultimately, the music creates a vibe like the sound of the earth’s own heart pumping life into her subjects. Heady and intoxicating, the pulsating rhythms have a tribal intensity as if there’s a story within the tone of each drum beat. The dynamic breaks to this song keep it fresh and flowing, especially welcome is the serene sounds of the kantele between the crushing rhythms.

“Ne Jotka Selviavat Talvestamme” is another 18 minute-plus atmospheric sonic journey filled with dynamic breaks. Huge swells of vocals crooning and chants mixed with sheer walls of distorted guitars and the complex touches of the kantele. This stuff is truly amazing to get lost in. Like shifting desert sands, like windswept mountains, like the rolling ocean tides, like the cascading leaves of seasonal change, this music is in constant flux, yet rooted to the core themes, much like the sands and mountains and seas are rooted to the earth. Always challenging the listener to follow the musical path laid out in front of them, but simple enough to follow because the markers along said path are so clearly designated. It’s a beautiful song. A timeless song.

Aikaintaite is, in a word, gorgeous. The textures that Syven use to create the lush atmospheric passages is stuff of legend. Take patience in listening to this album, things don’t happen fast, but when that certain something hits you, it hiys you good and hard, and leaves a lasting impression. The album could easily fall into the New Age category because of its ambient and shamanistic chanting, and even the heavy guitar portions wouldn’t take away from that. The term bandied about these days is Neo-Folk and that seems to work as well as anything else. The album will appeal to you if you’re the type of person who likes ambient music, or if you like to get baked and walk through nature. In fact, next time I do a day hike or find myself in the mountains, I’ll probably spin this disc as I take a short breather. Then again, listening to nature’s own music is a soundtrack unto itself and I probably wouldn’t ruin that. Nonetheless, Aikaintaite is a brilliantly realized record and I’m thankful I took the time to listen to this one when it came across the promo wire.

Pope

http://koti.mbnet.fi/atolonen/syven/intro.html