Les Ondes Silencieuses

Cécile Schott returns with her third album as Colleen, the highly personal, distinctly adventurous and confident Les Ondes Silencieuses, which follows Colleen Et Les Boîtes Ë Musique from late 2006. This album signals a change of approach for Parisienne Schott. Gone are the samples and loops of old, as the emphasis moves to the natural tones produced by a range of unusual live instruments, largely unadorned. The seeds for this album were sown when the 15 year-old Schott happened upon the film Tous Les Matins Du Monde, based on the life of Marin Marais, the acclaimed 17th Century viola da gamba (or viol) player and composer. The sound and mystery of the instrument set her off on an obsession which reached fruition in 2005 when she found a viola maker who custom-built one for her. More fascinating to play than she had ever imagined, it produced a sound so rich and naturally resonant that the loop-based works which had become a defining characteristic of Colleen's work could be laid to rest. A whole new approach to composing was needed, both in a more traditional and, paradoxically, a more improvised way. Chord changes, greater use of space and tempo variations were all now possible. The sounds created were key to the overall feel of the record. Unlike Schott's previous album, the Golden Morning Breaks, where the sounds created from each instrument often ended up disguising their identities, Les Ondes Silencieuses creates a platform using the intended sound, and then augments it with more of her innovation and personality.