Melodium - Flacana Flacana

by Maarten Schiethart

published: 24 / 2 / 2007

Label: Audio Dregs
Format: CD

Strongly recommended new album of electronic music from Melodium, the project of ultra-productive French musician Laurent Girard, which is entirely instrumental

Review

Laurent Girard who masquerades as Melodium is ultra-productive these days. He has another album 'Music for Invisible People', which includes his vocals, on Autres Directions. It has been released almost simultaneously with this wonderful instrumental album, 'Flacana Flacana', upon which the Angers, France-based composer heads into deeper waters. The follow-up to the intriguing 'Anaemia' from 2004, it is streamlined and comprehensive. 'Anaemia' built up pumping beats of glitches and then juxtaposed it with Girard's classically trained piano and keyboard play. 'Flacana Flacana' makes 'Anaemia' in contrast sound a little trendy and loungy. The 'Flacana Flacana' expression in the album title remains a mystery. The implication, however, is that of an intrusive set of gently hammering little gems. From its opening track onwards, all of which are named 'Flacana' by the way, 'Flacana Flacana' works around a theme that's equally undefined and pleasingly familiar. 'Flacana #4' is where Melodium does on the road, with guitars that sound like racing saws. He then returns to tranquility on '#5' and '#6' and follows that with fragile snare play as the keyboards become the solo instruments.The looped snare sounds build the rhythm section as it were. The album is built around these interchangeable functions of instruments. His vocal album on Autres Directions in France must be seen in this light. At several points I was inclined to believe that this Audio Dregs release included instrumentals of the vocal tracks. I have yet, however, to find out an example of where an instrumental version of a track on 'Flacana Flacana' can be found on a song 'Music for Invisible People'. Both recent albums are recommended, yet if there has to be only one go for 'Flacana Flacana'.

Track Listing:-

1 Flacana 01
2 Flacana 02
3 Flacana 03
4 Flacana 04
5 Flacana 05
6 Flacana 06
7 Flacana 07
8 Flacana 08
9 Flacana 09
10 Flacana 10
11 Flacana 11
12 Flacana 12
13 Flacana 13
14 Flacana 14
15 Flacana 15
16 Flacana 16
17 Flacana 17