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Rating: Encounters
Many know Yann Tiersen as the composer of the soundtracks for "Amélie" and "Goodbye Lenin!". Not everyone, however, has a precise idea of the American singer-songwriter Shannon Wright; at least I was among the latter. So when I learned of the existence of this album, I did a little research to understand the character and discovered that Shannon Wright is generally likened artistically to PJ Harvey. Knowing this only increased my desire to listen to this work. I was particularly curious about what could emerge from the meeting of two seemingly so different personalities.
Now I can say that it is certainly not the album I imagined. I'm not quite sure why, but I was expecting a rough and sunny music together, while in the end, it turned out to be the exact opposite: dark and melancholic. This effect is largely due to the nature of Shannon Wright's voice: intense yet soft, deep and dark.
You can feel it from the beginning of the album with the track No Mercy For She, where Shannon whispers the words against a musical background built by the repetitive sound of the piano and the plucking of strings. The sensation is one of a subdued spookiness, and the comparison with PJ Harvey is indeed valid, even if it sometimes brings to mind a twilight Lisa Germano. The sweetness of a small organ, however, opens Dragon Fly, always tempered by Shannon's mournful whispers, who demonstrates having a marked artistic personality capable of leaving a distinct mark of her presence.
The hand of Yann Tiersen can generally be perceived in the album's arrangements, which are indeed very detailed and characterized by the presence of piano, violin, bass, cello, along with guitar and drums. For example, Tiersen's touch is clearly evident in Sound The Bells, where the piano lays out the main theme, gradually enveloped by all other sounds, with guitar and drums in the foreground. Thus, a sort of energy develops, counterbalanced by the vocal interpretation of Shannon Wright. For its depth and refinement, it is perhaps one of the most beautiful moments of the album, which throughout its duration stays true, with ups and downs, to the blueprint developed in the opening bars.
Ultimately, therefore, from the collaboration between an elegant composer/multi-instrumentalist like Yann Tiersen and the American singer-songwriter Shannon Wright, emerges an album that is not outstanding but interesting, with some planning behind it. Perhaps a full homogeneity is not achieved between the two, as their respective contributions are quite noticeable during the listening. However, there remains the impression of an underlying affinity between different but not distant personalities.
In summary, it's an album that could represent the beginning of an artistic partnership that promises even more intriguing and original developments. Three stars rounded down.
Tracklist
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