Title: In Exile
Artist: Noblesse Oblige
Genre: Electronic / Acoustic / Chanson
Release Date: 19th September 2008
Label: Repo Records
Album Review
Ex-London, now Berlin based duo NOBLESSE OBLIGE was formed in early 2004 by German songwriter / producer Sebastian Lee Philipp and French performer-cum- songwriter / chanteuse Valerie Renay after meeting at a masked ball in Hoxton during which Valerie was performing a live art show. Already two years later the band releases their first album ‘Privilege entails Responsibility’, the French translation of the band’s name; and became quite a success, comprising the two singles and club hits ‘Bitch’ and ‘Daddy’ (Don’t touch me there). After relocating to Berlin the two started working on the follow-up ‘In Exile’ which has recently been released.
With ‘4AM’ it provides a calming debut that captivates through it’s ringing and partly rocking guitars as well as Sebastian’s restrained English vocals. ‘Das Soldatenglück’ is - as the title suggests - strictly kept in German that spreads a brittle melancholy and accentuates it short piano chords and wide strings apart from it being more rhythmic than the previous track. We jump to a different language with ‘Jalouse’ sung by Valerie in alluring French. Its instrumentation sprays the flair of Chanson as it strangely does of some instrumental interludes from the 80s I heard some time. The distant murmuring of the sea leads us to ‘Seaside Suicide’ equipped with minimalist electronic sounds, bass and casual strings; and when you near her singing “Seaside Suicide, the sea is cold” it’s like the voice is coming from beneath the waves and you’re starting to freeze as well. ‘Tanz Mephisto’ treads other waters again and combines both bongos and bleep electronics to an intriguing cocktail and Valerie aspirates the lyrics in German with w French accent. And sometimes you just can’t help but grin when listening to it.
Wonderfully playful melodies and rhythms flash in ‘Monkey Business’. Not only electronically generated tunes can be found here like the wide atmospherics and programmed rhythms can be found here also varied percussion play harmonically falls into line with the sound cosmos and atmospheric is also a term that fits perfectly to Forbidden Time’ opening another wide sonic world you can easily get lost in when distant echoes reach your ears and adulating synth layers surround you while acoustic guitars burn out in the night, just to be broken for a short while by rhythmical fragments. The album is ended with style with ‘Under The Floorboard’ a pacey piece animating to dance and wondering about the turned in vocal performance.
You can’t complain about a lack of diversity on ‘In Exile’. Brass arrangements, electronics, strings, guitar and more have been integrated into the songs and combined with lots of electronic gadgets - an album both inviting to freak out (Like the musicians sometimes) and to dream.
Tracklist
01. 4 AM – 3:37
02. Das Soldatenglück – 3:12
03. Jalouse – 4:07
04. Seaside Suicide – 3:47
05. Tanz, Mephisto! – 2:54
06. Barracuda – 3:05
07. Hit the Bongo – 3:31
08. East of Eden – 3:19
09. Duel – 3:47
10. Monkey Business – 3:37
11. Forbidden Time – 3:34
12. Partners in Crime – 3:21
13. All or Nothing – 4:03
14. Shame – 4:51
15. Under the Floorboard – 2:24
Line-up
Sebastian Lee Philipp & Valerie Renay
Website
http://www.noblesseoblige.co.uk/ / http://www.myspace.com/noblesseoblige
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 7
Sound: 8
Extras: -
Total: 7.5
{jos_sb_discuss:19}
Comments powered by CComment