Exposé Online banner

Exposé Online

Not just outside the box, but denying the existence of boxes.
Covering music from the fringes since 1993.

Reviews

Snowdrops — Singing Stones (Volume 1)
(Bandcamp Gizeh GZH117, 2024, CD / DL)

by Henry Schneider, Published 2024-12-23

Singing Stones (Volume 1) Cover art

Singing Stones (Volume 1) is the first in a series of Snowdrops’ compositions celebrating slow time and long time, somewhere between post-classical, progressive chamber music, and deep listening. Christine Ott and Mathieu Gabry, AKA Snowdrops, develop their alchemy of analog and acoustic timbres in a style that is at times interior, intense, narrative, or dreamy. The album is built around two long pieces, “Crossing” and “Arctic Passage,” that they have performed regularly on stage since 2016. On “Crossing” they present 20 minutes of floating ambiance morphing to baroque electronics and further on to a polyrhythmic, repetitive, mystical coda that can be best described as atmospheric Krautrock blending piano and ondes Martenot. “Arctic Passage” reveals additional textures as a 17-minute nocturnal crossing of the great white north amid decomposing icebergs, with our sonic protagonists eventually succumbing to the gentle arms of hypothermia. In “The Weather Project,” a reference to the monumental installation by the artist Olafur Eliasson, Ott and Gabry reunite with Anne-Irène Kempf on viola to create a chaotic swirling storm system that creeps over the horizon and culminates with a gentle rain. The main guest on Singing Stones (Volume 1) is Bartosz Szwarc with his dreamy accordion, which adds subtle color to “Ligne de Mica,” “The River,” and “Dreamers.” Snowdrops composed “Ligne de Mica”for an exhibition by the visual artist Léa Barbazanges weaving the ondes Martenot, analog synths, and bass accordion in such a way that these three instruments periodically cancel or reveal themselves in beautiful interactions. “The River” is a slow meandering neo-classical piece with a gradually emerging melody. “Dreamers,” as the title intimates, is an edge-of-consciousness composition. The dark and eerie “Corridors,” inspired by Thai director Phuttiphong Aroonpheng’s second film, Morrison, takes the listener down dark ghostly hallways in an abandoned building. Christine Ott and Mathieu Gabry are skilled at creating a unique mood that superbly matches the title of each piece. Nary a dull moment across its 80 minutes.

Filed under: New releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): Christine Ott, Snowdrops

More info
http://snowdrops.bandcamp.com/album/singing-stones-volume-1

 

What's new

These are the most recent changes made to artists, releases, and articles.