VILNIUS |
TRACKLIST : | ||
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36'45'' |
this mini album was written and produced in 2006 and was self-released in august
2007
*is a cover of mazzy star's song "i've been let down"
you can buy it directlyfrom me, also some copies are available at
:
linus records (Japan), popmuzik
(Japan), duotone (Japan),
zoo records (hong kong), normanrecords
(UK), smallfish (UK)...
BUY IT HERE
-------REVIEWS-------- |
CUEMIX-MAGAZINE.COM
Melodium is a restless musician from Angres France with a huge output of excellent albums. The fascinating thing about Melodium’s releases, besides the fact that his music and his style is really wonderful, is that he never repeats himself. So you can always expect the unexpected. So his new one called "Vilnius" is a special one. Melodium arranged fine Electronica tracks together with guitar sounds. He gives us his hand and invites us on a journey to nine special cities: Stockholm, Vilnius, Tioumen, Bilbao, Sebrenica, Tseel, Minsk, Muro and Kribi. Track number ten " I've been let down" is a cover version of a Mazzy Star song. The melodies of the tracks are a mixture between simple structures and multilayered compositions, so the melodies played by analogue synthesizer sounds take control of the listener with their inviting sounds. The guitar and the drums fill the room and create space for the story of each track. An effect I've heard the last time on the first Aphex Twin tracks (but i don't compare the music of this two artists). This album has something simple in each song and on the other hand the tracks have a very complex effect on the listener, something where the listener can loose himself in. It's been awhile since I've heard such great wonderful Electronica with such a high claim to the arrangements. A great and essential record with such beautiful sounds and melodies... available at http://melodiumbox.free.fr TEXTURA.ORG Angers-based Laurent Girard has been building up a fairly substantial Melodium oeuvre since about 2000 so could be considered somewhat of an old hand at this juncture. In addition, the French producer doesn't perform live, so it's not a total surprise that a follow-up to the 2006 releases Music for Invisible People and Flacana Flacana (on Autres Directions and Audiodregs) is already available for mass consumption. The mini-album in question, Vilnius, is self-released but evidences no discernible drop in quality or dramatic shift in character from his other work. The eleven songs are dominated by melodies that are sometimes pretty, sometimes sad, and almost always tinged with a wistful melancholy that lends Girard's material a modest gravitas; sometimes, a breezy folktronic setting like “Vilnius” directly evokes the charm of the French countryside. The instrumental materials are generally crunchy beats coupled with buoyant weaves built from organ, synthesizer, and acoustic guitars. “Srebrenica” underlays its pretty criss-cross of tinkling melancholia with a heavier and funkier backbeat, while “Muro” is driven by the whirr and click of punchy, rat-a-tat beats and gentle melodies. On his cover version of Mazzy Star's “I've Been Let Down,” Girard gives the vocal part the old college try, so to speak, but let's just say he's no Hope Sandoval; even so, it's still an affectionate and well-meant tribute. The unnamed hidden track is actually one of the prettiest pieces on the album, a gentle, organ-based lullaby that could easily send any child off to dreamland. Vilnius isn't a major advance, then, upon previous Melodium releases but it's no lapse either, even if it's relatively short running time makes it feel a bit slight in comparison. NORIPCORD.COM Vilnius is Girard’s eleventh full-length release in a career that began in earnest with 1999’s Rhythmi 7”. To quote the author, it consists of ten “melodic electronica tunes with classical guitar”. Nine of the ten tracks are named after towns and cities; the other is a cover of Mazzy Star’s I’ve been let down. Fans of Girard’s more instrumental work will not be disappointed. Both Vilnius and the excellent Bilbao feature the tuneful synth lines and glitchy beats that have become Melodium trademarks, whereas the choppier Minsk benefits from the inclusion of a subtle guitar track which provides a more organic feel. Tseel is more menacing, sounding very much more like a city at night with its prominent percussion and ominous melody. But while there is plenty to enjoy here, I can’t help but feel that Vilnius lacks the personal touch that made Girard’s last two releases for Autres Directions in Music (La tête qui flotte and 2006’s Music for invisible people) so special. On those records, Girard’s vocals were his unsung secret weapon, acting not so much as a focal point, but simply as another instrument, adding warmth and an additional human element alongside his finger-picked guitar. These vocals are, aside from on the excellent I’ve been let down, sadly absent on Vilnius. But
I really shouldn’t be complaining. Vilnius may not be his greatest
work, but there’s more than enough evidence here to suggest that
Girard is still way ahead of his rivals. And besides – something
tells me this isn’t going to be the last we hear from him. **** ETHERREAL Les mêmes causes produisant les mêmes effets, cette nouvelle sortie s’avère tout aussi convaincante que le disque sur Audio Dregs de l’an passé, d’autant plus que la brièveté des titres, qu’on déplorait un peu à l’époque n’est plus de mise ici. De même, Laurent Girard (hormis le cas isolé d’une reprise du ‘I’ve Been Let Down’, placée en bout de disque) ne nous propose pas de chant, contrairement à certaines de ses sorties précédentes. Cependant, ‘Vilnius’ semble, dans ses premiers titres, faire preuve d’un peu moins de variété quant au jeu de guitare ou aux éléments synthétiques employés, donnant certes une impression d’homogénéité plus grande, mais, dans le même temps, lissant un peu l’ensemble. Pourtant,
au fur et à mesure, des différences s’affirment
(‘Bilbao’ et son intéressante polyrythmie, les pulsations
plus marquées de ‘Srebrenica’) pour composer un mini-album
finalement plus varié que ce qu’on avait imaginé.
Tandis qu’aux niveaux des ambiances, on balance toujours entre
candeur un peu espiègle et mélancolie pastel, le Nantais
démontre une nouvelle fois qu’il maîtrise son sujet
à merveille. Décidément, après avoir connu
une période de creux pendant plusieurs mois, Melodium, toujours
aussi prolifique, redresse joliment la barre avec ces deux sorties fort
probantes (‘Flacana Flacana’ et ce mini-album).
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