Despite what you might hear on Captain of None, Colleen is a folk musician at heart. Although over five full-lengths, Cécile Schott (a.k.a. Colleen) has openly flirted with sleek electronic beats and avant-garde song structures, much of the French musician's sound emanates from her knack for expressive storytelling and organic musical communication. Even on Captain of None's three instrumentals, Colleen moves her songs forward via a moody melodious narrative, thanks to the unique sound of her viola da gamba (which she chooses to play pizzicato-style).
But it's the album's five other tracks, on which Colleen uses her vocals, that separate Captain of None from the rest of her catalogue. Washed in effects and production haze, tracks like "Lighthouse" and "Eclipse" come off dreamy and otherworldly, while "This Hammer Breaks" and "Soul Alphabet" utilize punchy world music rhythms. For a musician who has been leaning on the same style of ambient electronic for years, Colleen bravely reaches for something outside her ethereal comfort zone on Captain of None.
(Thrill Jockey)But it's the album's five other tracks, on which Colleen uses her vocals, that separate Captain of None from the rest of her catalogue. Washed in effects and production haze, tracks like "Lighthouse" and "Eclipse" come off dreamy and otherworldly, while "This Hammer Breaks" and "Soul Alphabet" utilize punchy world music rhythms. For a musician who has been leaning on the same style of ambient electronic for years, Colleen bravely reaches for something outside her ethereal comfort zone on Captain of None.