ORCHARD: Serendipity LP/CD Ici d’Ailleurs/Mind Travels

ORCHARD: Serendipity       LP/CD   Ici d’Ailleurs/Mind Travels

A collective of artists brought together by the label, of which; Aiden Baker is the only name I recognise.  This did help somewhat when listening to the album, as I immediately could latch onto some of his input as a foundation.

When ‘Serendipity’ shines, it invariably is a result of the ambient tracks on offer; and these are more up my street musically speaking.  However, a lot of the project revolves around a varied stream of musical apparatus; and freeform Jazz-esque improvisation and random fannying about will always bring about a pit of inconsolable rage, with me having to endure it in any shape or form.

It would be unfair to completely pull this apart though, as there are some genuine moments of musicality on here, that stand out regardless of musical taste.  As stated before, when they catch an ambient wave, they really nail it.  It’s just a pity the effort it took to listen to so much I dislike, to find such small moments of personal pleasure.

6/10

GEINS’T NAÏT + LAURENT PETITGAND: Je Vous Dis LP/CD Ici d’Ailleurs / Mind Travels

GEINS’T NAÏT + LAURENT PETITGAND: Je Vous Dis   LP/CD Ici d’Ailleurs / Mind Travels

With a duo that is engrained in composing soundtracks to independent film making, there was much on the press release to this album that struck a chord before I even played it; and in a lot of respects the eight tracks here are of no surprise, considering the career paths mentioned.

An obscure array of electronics and structures permeate ‘Je Vous Dis’ from the offset; fluttering between an backdrop of Trip-Hop and Jazz influences, the odd guttural growl and whisper (on opener ‘Bella), to the calming piano over demonically visceral scrapings of ‘Explo’.

‘Iroshima’ provides a cascade of treated harmonic vocals; that falters and waver amongst a muggy electronic foundation with a flutter of analogue instrumentation. Altogether peculiar, yet hypnotically engaging there is a beauty to this track that comes as a key marker to the two sides of the artists, setting the tone for the altogether old school Industrial concoctions that follow.

As stated earlier, the key to this release is the historical work that found itself in creating music for independent cinema; and this is none more so evident that on the title track, with a beautiful apparition of piano led harmonies, riding a wave of squelching beats and distorted keys. Genuinely engaging and engrossing, this is another pivotal stage in the albums structure; allowing for the more visceral intersections of the release to be appreciated, even by those that would normally run away from such aural interpretations.

As a blend of early 80’s Industrial ethics, Dark Ambient leanings and experimental electronics; there is much on this album to appease the ears of many an alternative music fan, whist retaining an edge that bridges gabs to the mainstream at lower levels of introduction.

8.5/10