Synth&Sequences reviews 'Remembering Chestnuts, Icy Cold, and Bells''

Sylvain Lupari, Synth&Sequences, October 4, 2011:


As much strange as charming, Remembering Chestnuts, Icy Cold, and Bells from Sensitive Chaos is a hallucinating journey into the wonderful and musical world of glockenspiels. A journey which goes straight in the heart of our childhood memories, during Christmas Eves and Holidays family reunions, and which enchants with its wintry tones. It’s an ode to winter, to its ice-cold pleasures and its nostalgic souvenirs that Jim Combs's last opus wakes. Through its carillons and its ringings as joyful as melancholic, Remembering Chestnuts, Icy Cold, and Bells wraps with a veil of prisms forgotten souvenirs of our early childhood. Built on a big variety of bells which ring and resound on rhythms and atmospheres to the antipodes of their essences, Remembering Chestnuts, Icy Cold, and Bells is a brilliant opus to the measure of the ingenuity of this musician without borders, nor labels.


The title track is glittering of luminosity. On a delicate synth line which hides discreet choirs "Remembering Chestnuts, Icy Cold, and Bells" wakes up with soft ringings of carillons which radiate on a delicate hypnotic rhythm. On a rhythm moulded by fine percussions, the crystalline arpeggios swirl in a wintry breeze to form a strange iridescent ballet where bells ring and flutter among curt chords of a cackling synth and a suave ethereal choir.


"Ceiliúradh Mhór" is a wonderful ballad of glass which spins among a union of percussions and keyboard keys to forge a very beautiful and catchy childish melody. The synth blows a beautiful bewitching tune to this splendid carousel to jingles of prisms which is cute and delicate as everything!


"Winter Winds across the Heartland" is a good ambient track where layers of a shrill synth interlace in a stunning sensibility. A nice cheerful track, "Spirit of the Season" offers a more punctuated rhythm.The percussions hammer a muffled but lively rhythm, while the carillons swirl all around this rhythmic structure which inevitably makes stomped.


Dancing on a discreet line with a tone of organ and percussions a bit like the Amerindian tribal kind, "Carillon et Champagne" soaks in a mixture of nostalgia and melancholy. On a slightly circular rhythm, the carillons draw an astonishing melody with glockenspiels’ strikings which twirl vaporously while following an ascending curve as in a mesmerizing ballet danced in weightlessness. Hypnotic, because of the color and tone of glockenspiels, "Carillon et Champagne" turns and turns in a stunning musical dizziness where tones of prism shape an odd melody.


Delicate keyboard keys skip on a synth line at the opening of "Remembering Chestnuts, Icy Cold, and Bells (Prologue)". These furtive keys are effacing in the ascension of a synth line which makes tip over the track in an ethereal ambiance, surrounded by other powerful synth lines. An ambient track with filiform synth lines which sway in fine oscillations, "Remembering Chestnuts, Icy Cold, and Bells (Prologue)" is the only title of this last opus of Sensitive Chaos at not to use carillons.


After a reprise of the opening track, where carillons ring with more velocity, Remembering Chestnuts, Icy Cold, and Bells ends with a track as cheerful as "Spirit of the Season".


Initially on the first album of Sensitive plant Chaos; Leak released in 2006, "Nightshift at the Baby Mecha Nursery (Remastered)" is a lively track, livened up by nice arpeggios which spin on a rhythmic structure supported by sober percussions.


On a structure always so crystal clear as we find everywhere on this Jim Combs's last opus, the rhythm is encircled by delicate shimmering arpeggios which turn in a minimalist way, increasing even more the glockenspiels which float of a beautiful circular movement on a tempo to youthful intonations, describing rather well the Holidays’ ambiance and the nostalgia circulating around Remembering Chestnuts, Icy Cold, and Bells.

Synth&Sequences reviews 'Emerging Transparency'

Sylvain Lupari has reviewed my 2009 Sensitive Chaos album 'Emerging Transparency'. My favorite quote, "Emerging Transparency is to Jim Combs what Zoolook is to Jean Michel Jarre."

The review can be found here.

Synth&Sequences Review of Sensitive Chaos "Seeker After Patterns"

http://synthsequences.blogspot.com/2011/07/sensitive-chaos-seeker-after-patterns.html

mardi 19 juillet 2011

SENSITIVE CHAOS: Seeker after Patterns (2011)

Sensitive Chaos is the musical project of the multi-instrumentalist Jim Combs who lives in the Atlanta, Georgia area. Seeker After Patterns is his 4th album, an album which navigates between delicate, very Southern rhythms, with a little tribal touch, and ambient structures. Rhythms are mainly minimalist grafted to a palette of very heterogeneous tones, giving to Seeker After Patterns a rich musicality which pokes through in every listening.

The discreet hopping chords which introduce the title-track, "Seeker After Patterns", are fast harpooned by bass notes which juxtapose a slightly zigzagging rhythmic approach. A metallic synth with hedging chords is joining this rhythmic while dropping some fluttering pads to give "Seeker After Patterns" a strange harmonious envelope wrapped up by silky synth lines and twinkling electric piano notes. This jerky rhythm which livens up "Seeker After Patterns" evolves by following its minimalist cycle to which is added diverse instruments as the suave and melancholic saxophone of Brian Good which precedes a very ambient moment where electric piano notes dance in a mellotron mist before that the rhythm, which moves stealthily, takes back its tempo with a more incisive approach. "Warm Glow of the Atomic Fire" is a soft floating track with fine oscillations which fly in delicate echoing loops to subtle and different variations. "A Piece of Stars" follows with delicate arpeggios skipping on a binary synth line, with one which frees a suave constant blow while the other throws oscillations in a threatening manner. It’s a very nice track with a delicate tribal approach by its tom-toms and Amerindian light winds which evolve on a minimalist structure where percussions dance with these arpeggios slightly spasmodic, due to their nervous tempo, on suave breathes of a gyrating synth and instruments which shape the movements of winds (EWI). Another ambient track, "L’Ascension" navigates in inter-sidereal spaces among synth gentle winds which are not without recalling the melancholic complaints of Vangelis.
A rhythm galloping on notes of wriggling guitars and undulating bass gives to "Sensitive Chaos" a curious western- indie structure. A catchy rhythmic structure to subtle variations that I can imagine quite well as a track in a Tarantino off-the-wall western movie. "Thoughts of Home in a Sand Storm" offers a jerky structure rhythmic where chords and pulsating sequences are criss-crossing to those of a synth / keyboard with curious cackled tones. A soft and warm synth, as in "L’Ascension," wraps of its warm layers this tempo which stutters of a greater intensity. It’s kind of odd, a little like the title-track, but it is a nice listen because of the discreet and subtle sound fauna which revolves around a rather unexpected rhythmic structure."Psychic Twins of Gemini" is a kind of electronic bed song which swirls of its delicate crystalline arpeggios. A track of an incredible simplicity, because of its timeless sound glass carousel, "Psychic Twins of Gemini" charms by its cherub approach. I quite liked it. Percussions and felted pulsations flutter while notes of bass and riffs of guitars fall to drown into keyboard keys, so drawing the very ambiguous and unusual rhythm of "Simon Stilites Dreams of Rain", a very IDM track. Heavy layers and twisted solos from a caustic guitar are binding in this very metallic fusion where knocks of anvil percussions are fading in this very iridescent which is hiding a subtle approach of a lonely cowboy avoiding discreetly the places of his riot. This latest album of Sensitive Chaos also offers two versions of the title-track "Seeker after Patterns" for radio needs. It is the same track but divided in 2 parts. The 2nd part starts from the section of piano notes floating in a mellotron mist. I prefer the original version, but what radio needs...
The music of Sensitive Chaos isn’t the most known in the spheres of modern EM. It’s not Berlin School, not even techno, but a skillful mixture of various styles which bind themselves in beautiful minimalist structures. Catchy structures where we perceive all the artistic work achieved by Jim Combs. I already heard, and reviewed, Leak back in 2006 and I come to the same conclusions there; Sensitive Chaos creates flowery experimental music with a minimalist approach which allows dressing its musical structures of different variations and instrumentations. Pleasant compositions which are listening very well and shelter nice melodies here and there.

SUBSEQUENT RECORDS: SRI001-03

Sylvain Lupari (2011)
Cet article est disponible en Français sur le site de Guts of Darkness, dont je suis chroniqueur sous le nom de Phaedream : http://www.gutsofdarkness.com/god/objet.php?objet=14505

You can view a video of Seeker After Patterns, here on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcOmOuaDqD0

Here's Sensitive Chaos website: http://sensitivechaos.com/

Guts of Darkness review of Sensitive Chaos 'Seeker After Patterns"

http://www.gutsofdarkness.com/god/objet.php?objet=14505

Sensitive Chaos est le projet musical du multi-instrumentaliste Jim Combs qui habite Atlanta en Georgie. Seeker after Patterns est son 4ième album. Un album qui navigue entre de délicats rythmes très sudistes, à saveur quelque peu tribale, et des structures ambiantes. Des rythmes majoritairement minimalistes où se greffe une palette de sonorités très hétéroclites, donnant à Seeker after Patterns une riche musicalité qui attise l’ouïe à chaque écoute.

Les discrets accords sautillants qui introduisent la pièce-titre, Seeker after Patterns, sont vite harponnés par des accords de bases qui juxtaposent une approche rythmique légèrement zigzagante. Un synthé nasillard aux accords louvoyant se greffe à cette rythmique tout en y échappant quelques nappes voltigeuses afin de donner à Seeker after Patterns une étrange enveloppe harmonieuse emmitouflée par de soyeuses lignes de synthé et de scintillants accords de piano électriques. Ce rythme saccadé qui anime Seeker after Patterns évolue en suivant son cycle minimaliste auquel s’ajoute divers instruments comme le suave et mélancolique saxophone de Brian Good qui précède un moment très ambiant où accords de piano électriques dansent dans une brume mellotronnée avant que le rythme, qui avance comme de furtifs pas de loups, ne reprenne son tempo avec une approche plus incisive.

Warm Glow of the Atomic Fire est un doux titre planant aux fines oscillations qui volent dans de délicates boucles échoïques aux subtiles et différentes variations.

A Piece of Stars suit avec de délicats arpèges sautillant sur une ligne de synthé binaire, dont une qui échappe un suave souffle continue alors que l’autre lance des oscillations un brin menaçant. C’est un très beau titre avec une délicate approche tribale avec ses tam-tams et ses souffles amérindiens qui évoluent sur une structure minimaliste où les percussions dansent avec ses arpèges légèrement spasmodiques, de par leur tempo nerveux, sur de suaves souffles de synthé giratoires et des instruments qui façonnent les mouvements des vents (EWI).

Autre titre ambiant, L'Ascension navigue dans des espaces intersidérales parmi des souffles de synthé qui ne sont pas sans rappeler les complaints mélancoliques de Vangelis.

Un rythme galopant sur des accords de guitares frétillantes et de basse ondulante donne à Sensitive Chaos une curieuse structure western-indie. Une structure rythmique aux subtiles variations qui accroche et que j’imagine fort bien dans un western totalement déjanté à la Tarantino.

Thoughts of Home in a Sand Storm offre une structure rythmique saccadé où accords et séquences pulsatrice s’entrecroisent à ceux d’un synthé/clavier aux curieuses sonorités caquetées. Un doux et chaleureux synthé, comme dans L'Ascension, enveloppe de ses suaves couches ce tempo qui bégaye d’une intensité accrue. C’est un titre curieux, tout comme la pièce-titre, qui gagne à être entendu à cause de la discrète et subtile faune sonore qui gravite autour d’une structure rythmique assez inattendue.

Psychic Twins of Gemini est une gentille comptine électronique qui tournoie de ses délicats arpèges cristallins. Un titre d’une simplicité inouïe, à cause de son intemporel carrousel de verre, Psychic Twins of Gemini charme avec son approche chérubin. J’ai bien aimé.

Des percussions et pulsations feutrées voltigent alors que des notes de basse et des riffs de guitares tombent pour se noyer à des accords de clavier, dessinant ainsi le rythme très ambigu et insolite de Simon Stilites Dreams of Rain, un titre à saveur IDM. De lourdes couches et solos torsadés d’une guitare mordante s’arriment à cette fusion très métallique où des coups d’enclume se perdent dans cette lourdeur très iridescente qui cache une subtile démarche d’un cowboy solitaire fuyant discrètement les lieux de son attaque.

Ce dernier album de Sensitive Chaos offre deux versions de la pièce-titre Seeker after Patterns pour les besoins de la radio. C’est la même pièce mais séparée en deux. La 2ième part à partir de la section de piano dont les accords flottent dans une brume mellotronnée. Je préfère la version originale, mais les besoins de radio…

La musique de Sensitive Chaos n’est pas ce qu’il y a de plus accessible, et connue, dans les sphères de la MÉ moderne. Ce n’est pas du Berlin School et même pas du techno, mais un habile mélange de différents styles qui s’arriment à de belles structures minimalistes. Des structures accrochantes où l’on perçoit tout le travail artistique accompli par Jim Combs. J’avais déjà entendu, et chroniqué Leak, en 2006 et j’en viens aux mêmes conclusions; Sensitive Chaos crée une musique un brin expérimental avec une approche minimaliste qui permet d’habiller ses structures musicales de différentes variations et instrumentations. Des compositions agréables qui s’écoutent fort bien et qui abrite de belles mélodies.