Les Ondes Silencieuses
Encyclopedia
Les Ondes Silencieuses is the third full-length album by French
electronica
artist Colleen (real name Cécile Schott) released on May 21, 2007. The Japanese
release features three bonus live tracks. The name can be interpreted in numerous ways. It can refer to the unusual calmness of still water, sound waves, or the French expression to refer to strange animal behaviour before earthquake
s.
and viola da gamba making appearances alongside the more familiar classical guitar
and clarinet
. The use of the viola da gamba was inspired by a 15-year old Schott viewing Tous les matins du monde
, a French
film (adapted from a novel of the same name
) based on the life of Marin Marais
who played the instrument.
The looped
aesthetic that had characterised much of Colleen's earlier work was discarded on this release in favour of a more open-ended and unstructured approach.
A marine theme is apparent in the name of many of the tracks and in the name of the album itself.
"Unfold Out" and "Serpentine" were recorded live in Asahi Art Square, Tokyo
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
artist Colleen (real name Cécile Schott) released on May 21, 2007. The Japanese
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
release features three bonus live tracks. The name can be interpreted in numerous ways. It can refer to the unusual calmness of still water, sound waves, or the French expression to refer to strange animal behaviour before earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
s.
Style
The album was made using natural instruments played live, thus keeping with the unsampled style of Schott's last few albums. Her penchant for unusual instrumentation was again evident, with the spinetSpinet
A spinet is a smaller type of harpsichord or other keyboard instrument, such as a piano or organ.-Spinets as harpsichords:While the term spinet is used to designate a harpsichord, typically what is meant is the bentside spinet, described in this section...
and viola da gamba making appearances alongside the more familiar classical guitar
Classical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
and clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
. The use of the viola da gamba was inspired by a 15-year old Schott viewing Tous les matins du monde
Tous les matins du monde (film)
Tous les matins du monde is a 1991 French film based on the book of the same name....
, a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
film (adapted from a novel of the same name
Tous les matins du monde
All the World's Mornings may refer to:*All the World's Mornings , 1991 historical novel by French author Pascal Quignard, focusing on future composer Marin Marais' apprenticeship with austere cellist Sainte-Colombe; original title Tous les matins du monde*Tous les Matins du Monde, 1991 French film...
) based on the life of Marin Marais
Marin Marais
Marin Marais was a French composer and viol player. He studied composition with Jean-Baptiste Lully, often conducting his operas, and with master of the bass viol Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe for 6 months. He was hired as a musician in 1676 to the royal court of Versailles...
who played the instrument.
The looped
Music loop
In electroacoustic music, a loop is a repeating section of sound material. Short sections of material can be repeated to create ostinato patterns...
aesthetic that had characterised much of Colleen's earlier work was discarded on this release in favour of a more open-ended and unstructured approach.
A marine theme is apparent in the name of many of the tracks and in the name of the album itself.
Track listing
All songs were composed and played by Cécile Schott.- "This Place In Time" – 2:33
- "Le Labyrinthe" – 5:15
- "Sun Against My Eyes" – 4:22
- "Les Ondes Silencieuses" – 6:09
- "Blue Sands" – 5:16
- "Echoes And Coral" – 3:09
- "Sea Of Tranquility" – 5:46
- "Past The Long Black Land" – 3:41
- "Le Bateau" – 7:09
Bonus Japanese tracks
- "Unfold Out" – 5:36
- "Serpentine" – 6:04
- "I'll Read You A Story" – 5:18
"Unfold Out" and "Serpentine" were recorded live in Asahi Art Square, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
.
Instrumentation
- Cécile Schott – clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
(tracks 3, 7), classical guitarClassical guitarThe classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
(tracks 3, 7), singing bowls (track 6), spinetSpinetA spinet is a smaller type of harpsichord or other keyboard instrument, such as a piano or organ.-Spinets as harpsichords:While the term spinet is used to designate a harpsichord, typically what is meant is the bentside spinet, described in this section...
(track 2) and viola da gamba (tracks 1, 4, 5, 8, 9).
Production credits
- ComposedComposerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
by Cécile Schott - ProducedRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Cécile Schott and Emiliano Flores - MixedAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
by Cécile Schott and Emiliano Flores - Recorded by Cécile Schott (tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 8) and Emiliano Flores (tracks 3, 4, 5, 7, 9)
- MasteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
by Emiliano Flores - Artwork by Iker Spozio