Colleen - Colleen et les Boîtes à Musique - The Leaf Label 2006

Here is another album by the French composer and musician Colleen (Cécile Schott) that I have enjoyed immensely over the years. Not unlike "The Golden Morning Breaks" (which you can check out here if you have not: http://nocturna-artificialia.blogspot.com/2016/10/colleen-cecile-schott-golden-morning.html ) "Colleen et les Boîtes à Musique" is full of delightful sounds such as gentle gamelan-like music that entrances while whispering in your ear and shimmering, delicate percussive music boxes. This sound world  allow Schott's pieces to float effortlessly like dandelion phyllaries letting go of their seeds - this is what I see and feel every time I listen. To me it's like the aural equivalent of macro photography at its most magical.

Colleen's own words about the album: 

This long EP, released in 2006 on The Leaf Label, was born from an invitation by national French radio France Culture for their programme Atelier de Création Radiophonique : I had to make a one-hour long piece and chose to explore the world of music boxes, small and large, new and old, and incorporated excerpts from films including music boxes between the songs. I was able to rely on the help and expertise of my friend musician, producer and radio presenter John Cavanagh, who owns a considerable collection of antique music boxes, and recorded me in Glasgow improvising with small mallets or my fingers on those huge Victorian models. 

Although the songs were originally intended only for that radio programme, The Leaf Label liked the music so much that they decided to release it as an EP (for copyright reasons, the film excerpts could not be included).

Colleen

Enjoy!

Colleen_et_les_boîtes_à_musique-Tzadik.zip

http://www57.zippyshare.com/v/paV3MQFC/file.html

Colleen (Cécile Schott) - The Golden Morning Breaks - The Leaf label - 2005

My absence during the majority of the summer was not intentional; it was a very difficult time (not going to burden or bother everyone with details - we are all here, after all, for glorious music!) and although 'this' continues for me, I'm glad that the oppressive heat and turmoil of the season is over.

One issue that I will share - and this is quite embarrassing for me - is my dreadful financial state which forced me to cancel my internet provider for a couple months. Never imagined it would come to that! Alas, this is but a "first-world problem" as they say - but then again having an i.s.p. or a connection of *some kind* is pretty basic, like owning a phone. So the "bargain" tier service I'm using now is slowww - slow like a Purcell Fantazia in fact (zippyshare is currently taking 12 min to upload 100mb!). But, I am here all the same!

So much for not whining/kvechting : /  I did keep it short, which is atypical for me hehe.

This is an album that I turned to repeatedly during the summer to try to find peace and calm, surrounding myself with Schott's mysterious and quiet beauty. This is her 2nd album from 2005. 

Composer and musician Colleen (Cécile Schott) creates an aural realm that is oft melancholy yet also cheerful - one must really listen to what's happening to "feel" it. She creates ambient sounds that are dark, yet also full of light that shimmers and sparkles delicately. Schott achieves this by employing all types of bells, chimes and even a glass glockenspiel from the 1800's. On this album she also plays several acoustic guitars, small electric pianos and organs, a harp, primitive mallet instruments, and a handful of toy instruments (such as a hand-cranked music box). 

Tracks:

1. Summer Water

2. Floating In The Clearest Night

3. The Heart Harmonicon

4. Sweet Rolling

5. The Happy Sea

6. I'll Read You A Story

7. Bubbles Which On The Water Swim

8. Mining In The Rain

9. The Golden Morning Breaks

10. Everything Lay Still

I first discovered Colleen's music in the debut film "The Unloved" by Samantha Morton. I find the film to be as poetic and magical as it is sad and tragic (it's a child's eye view of the U.K.'s government-run care system for orphans and children in danger who are stuck in foster care. The music meshes with the atmosphere and images as if Schott's pieces were composed for the film (the film was made 4 years later, in 2009). This is a film that I am really fond of and definitely recommend. The soundtrack also includes works by Colleen taken from other albums - I just might upload some others even if just a couple of people are receptive to this music. Hopefully everyone can find something to enjoy here!

Enjoy

Colleen-TheGoldenMorningBreaks-Tzadik.zip

http://www104.zippyshare.com/v/CHTDzgRc/file.html