Elsiane
Hybrid

LA RECENSIONE

It is a voice sweetly distorted; a sugar that does not cause the diabetes that is banality. It strips you of melancholy under a pink light.

The introduction to Elsiane can only be immediate, as immediate as their uniqueness stands out at the first listen.

They took nearly a decade to release Hybrid, but it's clear that generally, the two take long pauses between one album and another.

Elsieanne Caplette is a young Peruvian multi-instrumentalist who moved to Montreal in 2000 and artistically joined forces with drummer Stephane Sotto. Despite the duo having different roots (she has a musical education while he is self-taught), they marvel at how easily they can compose together.

Elsieanne + Stephane = Elsiane

Their trip-hop-like mixture embraces every influence that is functional to express these emotions at best. And as previously mentioned, these are emotions linked to darkness, searching for answers to existential questions (this is what the songs convey to the author).

The only rule they set for themselves is not to alter Elsieanne's voice in any way.

Mend (To Fix, To Repair) is the song to which she feels most connected. She sings it beating her chest to naturally effect her voice.

I was living in a basement at the time, and one night I dreamt the melody of what would become Mend. I rushed to record it. I was obsessed with the concept of death and wondered where souls ended up; thus, the lyrics were born. From that special track, we ended up recording a whole album.

Because it’s about electronic elements, but of that electronics that rewards warmth. On one side, artificial beats follow one another with solemn repetitiveness; on the other, Stephane's muse recites:

I’m a little girl boiled into a mature (Vaporous)

But also:

Look in this shadow but always leave the light on (Morphing)

Morphing is indeed, in my opinion, the track that represents them; the deepest and most dangerous track. The interpretation is emotional but in a certain sense descriptive; when the word evil is pronounced, Elsieanne plunges sharply into a baritone without falling into mimicry.

A typical witch from a Grimm fairy tale that welcomes you but in the end doesn’t really have the bad intention of devouring you.

The most linear is Across The Stream, between orchestrations and a precise drumming. Tragic strings, try them out.

With due respect to the second side, the first four songs would be enough to immerse the listener in this abyss, but with the light turned on, mind you.