The Ories sur La Danse_音乐专辑
The Ories sur La Danse
表演者: Le Chat Blanc Orchestra
专辑类型: EP
发行时间: 2007
条形码: 7613030046455
专辑简介
The history behind Théories Sur La Danse is almost as interesting as the CD itself. Le Chat Blanc Orchestra is Pascal Asselin (Millimetrik, Below the Sea, Glider, Snowflake) and Mathieu Grisé (destroyalldreamers, IXE-13, méta-méta), and certainly one more project can't hurt the already impressive resume. For those with an ear close to the ground, you'll recognize the name Chat Blanc from Chat Blanc Records, which is run by Mr. Asselin himself. Chat Blanc has been making a name for itself over the past couple years by releasing odds and ends in the ambient/electronic world, including works by Port-Royal, Yellow6, Electroluminescent, and Stafraenn Hakon. By a strange twist of fate, Le Chat Blanc Orchestra finds itself on Thisquietarmy Records, run by Eric Quach of destroyalldreamers, and the next Thisquietarmy release will be handled by Chat Blanc. Confusing? Yes, I thought so. Needless to say, we've tapped into a goldmine of Canadian ambient/electronic music and there is plenty to go around.
I think many listeners shy away from the ambient/electronic realm because, depending on your introduction to the genre, it can be very unwelcoming. One of the common characteristics among all the subgenres, and perhaps the only characteristic, is a large appreciation for subtlety. Whether this be one of the main concerns of the music (Stars of the Lid), or relegated more towards the background (Hammock), everyone needs some of this to wrap their music in a shroud of mystery. It's this mystery that allows the layers to blend together as artists continually seek more and better textures, and it's never really quite clear who is making what sounds, where they are coming from, or why they're there. The last part is especially important, as the listening experience is highly subjective, and while many instrumental genres are happy to lead the way through interpretation of the tracks, ambient musicians are content to provide the basic tools and let the listener sculpt his own journey. It is perhaps this phenomenon that creates such varying opinions of ambient music; a fantastic CD to one set of ears can easily be boring and trite to the next, and vise versa. However, this isn't to imply there isn't a critical mode of thought that arises, as there are certainly a few musicians who come to mind when you think of the "best of the best" in this department, be the smoldering drone workers, the celestial stargazers, or the beat-driven electro artists.
Le Chat Blanc Orchestra (White Cat Orchestra) is a master of the hypnotic arts. There is generally a learning curve associated to such releases -- how long does it take to truly pull the listener into a comatose state -- and before the 2 minute mark clicks by in "She Left This Morning" the listener is in deep hypnosis. Long, ambient waves wash over the landscape, gradually increasing and decreasing in intensity and tone, and the listener is tightly sucked into the album. "Hibou (For Joseph Cornell)" is decidedly reminiscent of destroyalldreamers, as the kaleidoscopic sounds emanating from the CD gently percolate into our subconscious and the subtlety defiantly resists succumbing to the indicated rising action. Instead, the emotional buildup is relieved by "Son Visage, Dechu et Fatigue," which only deflates the sense of immediacy by slipping into a mournful, depressively repetitive melody. The control of emotion and total lack of presence is outstandingly impressive, to say the least, and it's the kind of brilliance we normally credit to Stars of the Lid. "Everyone Dance!" portrays a more hopeful side, as the sounds of the ocean are juxtaposed with a relatively energetic musical progression. At a short "1:33," it's merely a snapshot of another world, one which Le Chat Blanc adamantly refuses to visit, but perhaps is a motivating force behind the scenes. Regardless, it's a refreshing respite from the rest of the album, and a reminder that a real world actually does exist outside this surreal experience.
The five track CD concludes with "Riviere du Loup," the longest on offer at over 10 minutes. By summing up the work of the previous twenty-five minutes of music, "Riviere du Loup" effectively concludes the album, and while the track itself is up to par with the high bar of excellence maintained on this CD, I can't help but feel like they took the easy way out. The track effortless glides through an icy cavern, building up an incandescent wave of ambience, but is short to fade out and break the hypnotic trance. I'd be happy to entertain the notion that the journey hasn't ended, but rather proceeds cyclically in nature. Evidently that is not in the framework.
For any who claim to enjoy ambient music, Théories Sur La Danse is a must buy. It's quite rare to see a release of this caliber without the added pretentious baggage, but Le Chat Blanc Orchestra has crafted a magical experience that is as humble as it is transcendental. I challenge you to show me a better poised release.
-Jordan Volz (Silentballet)
曲目
01 she left this morning
02 hibou (for joseph cornell)
03 son visage, dechu et fatigue
04 everybody dance!
05 rivieηre-du-loup
