Vanessa Bedoret – ‘Eyes’ album review: spectres welcome at this feast
THE SKINNY: In a harmonious blend of archaic orchestral soundscapes and modern synth textures, Vanessa Bedoret pulls out all the stops for her triumphant debut album, Eyes. As a French artist now based in London, Bedoret bridges the English Channel with European elegance and enhances this duality of grit and grace at almost every turn.
Bedoret is a remarkably talented individual. Having begun her classical training as a violinist at the age of six, she completed the final level of her studies at age 18. In early adulthood, a convergence of tastes began to nurture Bedoret’s musical curiosity. Beguiled by the raw intensity of punk music and enchanted by the abstract dance music of IDM artists, a holistic vision began to take form.
After funnelling her musical education into the realm of electronic music and production, the sky was the limit. Eyes is a bold and immaculate expression of emotion. While we encounter threads of lyrical and titular information in French and English, the precise words are unimportant. In the aptly titled ‘Ballad’, Bedoret’s ethereal vocals take a back seat, allowing the music to express the emotions and paint the pictures. After all, music is her first and most fluent language.
Through seven meticulously produced songs, Bedoret establishes a potent sonic identity. Her embrace of classical music brings a nuance to ambient and IDM scapes that resound pleasingly with the ephemeral and enshrined vocal tracks. A conveyance of love is tangible throughout the album, but haunting tones loom heavy overhead, an unnamed spectre, to shake you to the core.
For fans of: cathedral acoustics, Autechre and kitchen sink introspection.
A concluding comment from Alan Partridge: “A talented lady with a lovely voice, but not quite as uplifting and versatile as Wings.”
Eyes track by track:
Release Date: February 8th | Producer: Vanessa Bedoret | Label: Scenic Route
‘Choice’: The voyage sets off in tranquil, ambient waters, but Bedoret’s anguished vocals and otherworldly sound effects intrude with a warning of stormy seas ahead. The track evolves to suggest that in such dark uncertainty, flickers of melodic beauty and wonder can be relished. [4/5]
‘Ballad’: Exactly what it says on the tin, this song speaks the same language as the guitar-driven singer-songwriter wave but with a muffled and dejected air of nostalgia. The propellant arpeggio joins hands with familiar synth textures and Bedoret’s vocals for spells of stimulation. [3.5/5]
‘1/2’: If the previous track could be labelled remotely derivative, ‘1/2’ takes an ardent step into oblique territory. That said, Brian Eno’s famous quote, “Avant-garde music is a sort of research music. You’re glad someone’s done it, but you don’t necessarily want to listen to it,” does not apply here. These sonic pastures are verdant and scrumptious. [4.5/5]
‘Transition’: This is a highlight for me, simply because I’m a sucker for those Autechre-hearkening synth beats. With four minutes and 38 seconds to play with, the track keeps the listener on their toes with phases of orchestral stature and macabre foreboding. [4.5/5]
‘Eyes’: This one simmers with compact orchestral strings that cut through the air like a finger on the rim of a wine glass. Falling thankfully short of piercing, these rounds of emotive tintinnabulation resound with a dark romance instigated by Bedoret’s sparse, flitting vocals. [3.5/5]
‘Pas’: If you’ve never woken up in rural France to a chorus of birdsong, the first minute of this track is a reasonable simulation. In one of the album’s more intriguing moments, Bedoret exercises choral vocals to the familiar sound of throbbing strings. Throughout, the song benefits from oscillating synths and sound effects one can only compare to those heard when one twists the air inlet on a Bunsen burner. [4/5]
‘Eternal’: The album ends on a fittingly intense note. Grand, symphonious climaxes meet Bedoret’s arresting vocals in a pleasing, if unsettling, harmony. The production, as ever, is crisp and discerning, with accentuating instrumentals and vocal overdubs providing that je ne sais quoi. [4/5]
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