You get the impression going way back to Précis that Thomas Meluch a.k.a. Benoît Pioulard was capable of full-on heading this direction, but apparently only after collaborating with Rafael Anton Irisarri (through Orcas) has Meluch felt the motivation to go ALL IN with nearly unwavering ambience. He’s putting the chips down in the middle of an ethereal river flow, quickly realizing their status as actual money, as he proceeds to dive desperately (but swan-like) for the sake of monetary retrieval. Just because we’ve thoroughly enjoyed the airy and otherworldly folk on aural display post-millennium, doesn’t mean that mixing it up is totally out of the question. Mix it up, Meluch!
Sonnet, out March 30 on Kranky, is said to be a veritable smorgasbord. Well, actually, it’s somewhat ironic when you consider the literal definition of “sonnet,” because the album is almost entirely lyric-less. Here’s what the Seattle-based musician had to say concerning its composition: “The basis of the album was a series of field recordings of tones and unintentional harmonies that I made in the summer & fall of 2013 - whistling industrial air conditioners, bird songs, locust drones, washing machines - that I mimicked or interpreted on the guitar, making loops that developed into fuller compositions.”
There’s no turning back now. Hymnal was the last breath. Onward to ultra-minimalism! Teaser vid and a track below.
Sonnet tracklisting:
01. With No Advantage
02. The Gilded Fear That Guides the Flow
03. Of Everything That Rhymes
04. Is in its Clearest Form
05. An Image Apart from Ourselves
06. Whose Palms Create
07. As Would a Weaver
08. A Shade of Celadon
09. So Etched in Memory
10. Upon the Break Arch
11. That Wounded Weathered
12. Shut-Ins on Sunday
13. The Very Edge of Its Flame
14. And Relent
• Benoît Pioulard: http://pioulard.com
• Kranky: http://www.kranky.net
More about: Benoit Pioulard
