My first thought upon hearing the familiar “if you need help, please hang up and try again…” recording in Light That Comes, Light That Goes’ opening track, “If You Need Help,” was that it may be a bit too ubiquitous of a sample to be effective in another context.
Review: Ensemble Economique – Light That Comes, Light That Goes
National Music Reviews
Ensemble Economique
Light That Comes, Light That Goes
Denovali Records
Street: 12.13.13
Ensemble Economique = Starving Weirdos + Jefre Cantu-Ledesma
My first thought upon hearing the familiar “if you need help, please hang up and try again…” recording in Light That Comes, Light That Goes’ opening track, “If You Need Help,” was that it may be a bit too ubiquitous of a sample to be effective in another context. Upon further consideration, however, I realized that may not be the case for much longer. The number of homes with landlines has diminished greatly just within the last several years. Each piece on this record carries a sense of isolation or solitude. They are not tonally bright, nor do they necessarily communicate the feeling of someone reaching out to be heard. However, they are not weightless or without presence, and by the final track, “Radiate Through ME,” the direction of the album has changed—with drums and vocal harmonies introduced into the album’s instrumentation. I’m interested to hear where this project goes next. The aforementioned track and “Glass On the Horizon” are album highlights. –T.H.
Light That Comes, Light That Goes
Denovali Records
Street: 12.13.13
Ensemble Economique = Starving Weirdos + Jefre Cantu-Ledesma
My first thought upon hearing the familiar “if you need help, please hang up and try again…” recording in Light That Comes, Light That Goes’ opening track, “If You Need Help,” was that it may be a bit too ubiquitous of a sample to be effective in another context. Upon further consideration, however, I realized that may not be the case for much longer. The number of homes with landlines has diminished greatly just within the last several years. Each piece on this record carries a sense of isolation or solitude. They are not tonally bright, nor do they necessarily communicate the feeling of someone reaching out to be heard. However, they are not weightless or without presence, and by the final track, “Radiate Through ME,” the direction of the album has changed—with drums and vocal harmonies introduced into the album’s instrumentation. I’m interested to hear where this project goes next. The aforementioned track and “Glass On the Horizon” are album highlights. –T.H.
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