Colleen

The evolution of Parisian sound sculptor Cécile Schott has been a whirlwind of transcendent beauty. Charting her work since her 2003 debut, the folktronic reverie of Everyone Alive Wants Answers, she’s taken great strides in just a few short years to get to Les Ondes Silencieuses ("silent waves”). Essentially, the electronic jangling and cut & paste loops have been locked out completely on her third album; instead, she’s stripped down her music to a minimalistic lull, paying tribute to Marin Marais, a 17th century viol player she discovered in the film Tous Les Matins Du Monde. So taken by the subject was Schott that she sought out the mysterious instrument (basically a cello/guitar hybrid) to bring her fascination to life. With a stanch hush, Schott tenderly yields to the viol’s warm resonance, constructing a placid wall of sound that is far less intricate than the layers we’re used to hearing her create. She isn’t committed to the instrument entirely, allowing for classical guitar here and there, some breathtaking crystal glass on "Echoes and Coral” and clarinet to lead the vulnerable "Sun Against My Eyes.” The result of Schott’s pet experiment is a stunningly sublime product that transmits her wondrous skill for adapting to such exotic instruments and creating even more mystery as to what her next venture could possibly be. (Leaf)