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Haunted drone-folk project featuring Jessica Bailiff and Annelies Monseré.
Eight hypnotic songs with sparse arrangements of guitar, keyboards, cello, piano and drums. |
TRACKLISTING
Side A:
You're Not Here
Hardly 1
Waking
Little One
Side B:
Overseas
Lands
Hardly 2
Barely Breathing
CREDITS
Hydromedusae are Annelies Monsere and Jessica Bailiff, with drums on A1, A3 and B1 by Mathew Sweet.
Mastered by Fraser McGowan. Art by Annelies, design by Jess, centre label photographs by Jo McCahill. Sleeves printed by Wim Lecluyse.
A thousand thanks to Chris.
RELEASE DETAILS
Limited to 200 LPs on 175g black vinyl, with individually screen-printed sleeves by Wim Lecluyse.
Duration: 35:39
Side A:
You're Not Here
Hardly 1
Waking
Little One
Side B:
Overseas
Lands
Hardly 2
Barely Breathing
CREDITS
Hydromedusae are Annelies Monsere and Jessica Bailiff, with drums on A1, A3 and B1 by Mathew Sweet.
Mastered by Fraser McGowan. Art by Annelies, design by Jess, centre label photographs by Jo McCahill. Sleeves printed by Wim Lecluyse.
A thousand thanks to Chris.
RELEASE DETAILS
Limited to 200 LPs on 175g black vinyl, with individually screen-printed sleeves by Wim Lecluyse.
Duration: 35:39
LP ARTWORK
REVIEWS
Kranky alumni Jessica Bailiff returns after a decade away from music for this first time collaboration with kindred spirit, Annelies Monseré. Their union makes a lot of sense, Bailiff's long-standing interest in drone and minimalist composition an ideal foil for Monseré's instinctively avant interpretation of folk song and melody. Like on the recently released Mares on Horn of Plenty, Monseré's voice holds a particularly central place in the music, the guiding thread that holds the whole thing together, deeply intoned, repeat phrased melodies embellished by drones of organs and bass, and the occasional sprawl of guitar feedback. This is serious, heavy music you feel in your chest, alluding to something grand and significant, though ambiguous enough to offer no real solid clues as to just what that might be. No matter, best to sit back and let it transport you somewhere else, quite possibly some distant fog enshrouded land in the backwaters of a lost Europe.
- World Of Echo
Longtime friends Jessica Bailiff and Annelies Monseré become collaborators as Hydromedusae. Triumphant sentiments raise the curtain on a series of haunting, soulful whispers. Guitar lines progress through maze-like silhouettes, buoyed by fragmented cello drones and minimal rhythms. All of the instrumentation creates an inviting sonic bed for enchanting vocal melodies to push into an ethereal plane. Monseré gives voice to all the lost ghosts and memories stuck in place and unsure where to go, entranced by Bailiff’s delightful phrasings and lyrical incantations. Beckoned by distant shores aloft on unearthly piano arrangements and introspective murmurs, Hydromedusae coalesce into worlds beyond.
- Foxy Digitalis
È una collaborazione che viene da lontano, quella tra Jessica Bailiff e Annelies Monseré, originata da una naturale affinità artistica e poi lentamente coltivata a distanza nel corso degli anni. Sono ormai oltre venti quelli trascorsi dal loro primo incontro, avvenuto durante un tour europeo della musicista statunitense, e in seguito concretizzatosi in un Ep condiviso risalente al 2008.
Solo ora i fili delle innegabili connessioni espressive tra le due sono tornati a riannodarsi, per la prima volta in un progetto collaborativo tanto organico da essere identificato dalla denominazione riassuntiva di Hydromedusae. Per chi conosce i percorsi artistici di Jessica Bailiff e Annelies Monseré non potranno sorprendere più di tanto le coordinate entro le quali si collocano gli otto brani del debutto ufficiale della loro nuova creatura, ampiamente incentrata su parti vocali dilatate e solenni, sostenute da un’ambience altrettanto impalpabile, costituita da esili riverberi chitarristici o espansi toni organici, che vi conferiscono una dimensione onirica, straniante, a tratti sacrale.
Eppure, se questi irrinunciabili punti di contatto tra le due artiste rappresentano la base dalla quale parte il lavoro, nel suo sviluppo dalle movenze narcolettiche affiorano via via ulteriori elementi che definiscono l’essenza del progetto, plasmato altresì dalle percussioni di Mat Sweet e reso ancor più sfaccettato, grazie ai ricami armonici via via più pronunciati, sovente affidati a sparse note pianistiche sospese tra frequenze di elettricità statica a tratti sopra la soglia della distorsione. Su tale substrato sonoro, Bailiff e Monseré accennano, in particolare nella parte finale del lavoro, ballate al rallentatore persino compiute dal punto di vista della scrittura e come non mai dense di suggestioni liquidamente stralunate, che è un piacere ritrovare, insieme, saldate in una formula di profonda condivisione.
*disco della settimana dal 3 al 9 aprile 2023
- Music Won't Save You
the debut from hydromedusae, a pairing of annelies monseré and jessica bailiff. as with monseré's recent horn of plenty lp, the skeletons of folk are readily apparent here, but the way in which the flesh is glued on to them is decidedly uncanny. where a lot of modern folk seems content to hide in the shadows, shrouded in layer upon layer of reverb and delay to approximate closeness, hydromedusae is almost aggressively intimate, the words seeming as if they're being sighed directly into your ear. the music itself too refuses to succumb to the comfort of low fidelity, instead feeling decidedly present and all the heavier for it, like a pillowcase full of batteries. there's more than a few parallels with bailiff's classic kranky lp with dave pearce (he of flying saucer attack) under the clear horizon moniker, particularly in its refusal to let folk song sound antiquated by allowing waves of drone and pulse seep well into its myriad nooks & crannies. again though, as with monseré's 'mares', this feels like a step into a real unknown, really quite striking in sounding familiar and utterly foreign simultaneously.
- Natures Trip
Hydromedusae is the name used by Jessica Bailliff and Annelies Monsere, two musicians who have previously toured together as well as releasing a previous EP back in 2008 on which they covered each others songs, they have also each released many recording of their own on a host of labels.
On this release the songs have been stripped back, each having delicate melodies whilst also being dusted with drones, sometimes distant, sometimes harsh and distorted, the tension created being at the very heart of the collection.
Opening tune “You're Not Here” has a definite folk influence, a maudlin chanting vocal style lifted by the purity of the voices and enhanced by droning organ and scraping strings. This style continues on “Hardly 1” although the sonic landscape is subtly changed , the drones richer and warmer, the music remaining dense and emotional.
Moving on, “Waking” has rippling guitar and almost whispered vocals, percussion and distant drones creating a very atmospheric piece of music that drifts like fog around your ears. Changing tack again, “Little One” has a pulsing, swirling electronic drone that threatens to choke the vocals completely, something it never quite manages although the tension is always there, sawing strings and electric guitar adding to the onrushing storm of noise, best played loud.
Halfway through and I have been reminded of the music of Arborea, Long Live Death, United Bible Studies and Stonebreath, such is the power of this music to my ears.
Also laden with an overpowering drone, “Overseas” is a sea shanty for the dead, a funeral march that leads direct to the grave, a compelling and melancholic tune that is one of my favourite song on the album, the track ending with 30 seconds of distorted guitar noise. Creating a fabulous double act another favourite follows immediately after as the delicate, fragile piano melody of “Lands” stops you in your tracks, sweet vocals riding high overhead whilst a soft drone writhes underneath, sonic perfection and the perfect foil to the previous track.
Built on top of a rumbling bass, “Hardly 2”, has a hypnotic feel with almost chanted vocals that pull you in closely, a chiming guitar adding light as droning electronic tones fly overhead. Ending the album beautifully “Barely Breathing” is a melancholy delight, rich drones, distant vocals, funeral melodies and hypnotic percussion all combining to drag you in one last time , the fact that it takes a few listens to hear all the lyrics adds to the mystery as each hearing paints a bigger story, a whispered conversation you were not meant to hear.
Experimental, Drone, Wyrd-Folk, whatever you choose to call it, this is a magnificent album that is rich in textures and melodies and will be a long lasting companion in your music collection for many years.
- Ptolemaic Terrascope
Kranky alumni Jessica Bailiff returns after a decade away from music for this first time collaboration with kindred spirit, Annelies Monseré. Their union makes a lot of sense, Bailiff's long-standing interest in drone and minimalist composition an ideal foil for Monseré's instinctively avant interpretation of folk song and melody. Like on the recently released Mares on Horn of Plenty, Monseré's voice holds a particularly central place in the music, the guiding thread that holds the whole thing together, deeply intoned, repeat phrased melodies embellished by drones of organs and bass, and the occasional sprawl of guitar feedback. This is serious, heavy music you feel in your chest, alluding to something grand and significant, though ambiguous enough to offer no real solid clues as to just what that might be. No matter, best to sit back and let it transport you somewhere else, quite possibly some distant fog enshrouded land in the backwaters of a lost Europe.
- World Of Echo
Longtime friends Jessica Bailiff and Annelies Monseré become collaborators as Hydromedusae. Triumphant sentiments raise the curtain on a series of haunting, soulful whispers. Guitar lines progress through maze-like silhouettes, buoyed by fragmented cello drones and minimal rhythms. All of the instrumentation creates an inviting sonic bed for enchanting vocal melodies to push into an ethereal plane. Monseré gives voice to all the lost ghosts and memories stuck in place and unsure where to go, entranced by Bailiff’s delightful phrasings and lyrical incantations. Beckoned by distant shores aloft on unearthly piano arrangements and introspective murmurs, Hydromedusae coalesce into worlds beyond.
- Foxy Digitalis
È una collaborazione che viene da lontano, quella tra Jessica Bailiff e Annelies Monseré, originata da una naturale affinità artistica e poi lentamente coltivata a distanza nel corso degli anni. Sono ormai oltre venti quelli trascorsi dal loro primo incontro, avvenuto durante un tour europeo della musicista statunitense, e in seguito concretizzatosi in un Ep condiviso risalente al 2008.
Solo ora i fili delle innegabili connessioni espressive tra le due sono tornati a riannodarsi, per la prima volta in un progetto collaborativo tanto organico da essere identificato dalla denominazione riassuntiva di Hydromedusae. Per chi conosce i percorsi artistici di Jessica Bailiff e Annelies Monseré non potranno sorprendere più di tanto le coordinate entro le quali si collocano gli otto brani del debutto ufficiale della loro nuova creatura, ampiamente incentrata su parti vocali dilatate e solenni, sostenute da un’ambience altrettanto impalpabile, costituita da esili riverberi chitarristici o espansi toni organici, che vi conferiscono una dimensione onirica, straniante, a tratti sacrale.
Eppure, se questi irrinunciabili punti di contatto tra le due artiste rappresentano la base dalla quale parte il lavoro, nel suo sviluppo dalle movenze narcolettiche affiorano via via ulteriori elementi che definiscono l’essenza del progetto, plasmato altresì dalle percussioni di Mat Sweet e reso ancor più sfaccettato, grazie ai ricami armonici via via più pronunciati, sovente affidati a sparse note pianistiche sospese tra frequenze di elettricità statica a tratti sopra la soglia della distorsione. Su tale substrato sonoro, Bailiff e Monseré accennano, in particolare nella parte finale del lavoro, ballate al rallentatore persino compiute dal punto di vista della scrittura e come non mai dense di suggestioni liquidamente stralunate, che è un piacere ritrovare, insieme, saldate in una formula di profonda condivisione.
*disco della settimana dal 3 al 9 aprile 2023
- Music Won't Save You
the debut from hydromedusae, a pairing of annelies monseré and jessica bailiff. as with monseré's recent horn of plenty lp, the skeletons of folk are readily apparent here, but the way in which the flesh is glued on to them is decidedly uncanny. where a lot of modern folk seems content to hide in the shadows, shrouded in layer upon layer of reverb and delay to approximate closeness, hydromedusae is almost aggressively intimate, the words seeming as if they're being sighed directly into your ear. the music itself too refuses to succumb to the comfort of low fidelity, instead feeling decidedly present and all the heavier for it, like a pillowcase full of batteries. there's more than a few parallels with bailiff's classic kranky lp with dave pearce (he of flying saucer attack) under the clear horizon moniker, particularly in its refusal to let folk song sound antiquated by allowing waves of drone and pulse seep well into its myriad nooks & crannies. again though, as with monseré's 'mares', this feels like a step into a real unknown, really quite striking in sounding familiar and utterly foreign simultaneously.
- Natures Trip
Hydromedusae is the name used by Jessica Bailliff and Annelies Monsere, two musicians who have previously toured together as well as releasing a previous EP back in 2008 on which they covered each others songs, they have also each released many recording of their own on a host of labels.
On this release the songs have been stripped back, each having delicate melodies whilst also being dusted with drones, sometimes distant, sometimes harsh and distorted, the tension created being at the very heart of the collection.
Opening tune “You're Not Here” has a definite folk influence, a maudlin chanting vocal style lifted by the purity of the voices and enhanced by droning organ and scraping strings. This style continues on “Hardly 1” although the sonic landscape is subtly changed , the drones richer and warmer, the music remaining dense and emotional.
Moving on, “Waking” has rippling guitar and almost whispered vocals, percussion and distant drones creating a very atmospheric piece of music that drifts like fog around your ears. Changing tack again, “Little One” has a pulsing, swirling electronic drone that threatens to choke the vocals completely, something it never quite manages although the tension is always there, sawing strings and electric guitar adding to the onrushing storm of noise, best played loud.
Halfway through and I have been reminded of the music of Arborea, Long Live Death, United Bible Studies and Stonebreath, such is the power of this music to my ears.
Also laden with an overpowering drone, “Overseas” is a sea shanty for the dead, a funeral march that leads direct to the grave, a compelling and melancholic tune that is one of my favourite song on the album, the track ending with 30 seconds of distorted guitar noise. Creating a fabulous double act another favourite follows immediately after as the delicate, fragile piano melody of “Lands” stops you in your tracks, sweet vocals riding high overhead whilst a soft drone writhes underneath, sonic perfection and the perfect foil to the previous track.
Built on top of a rumbling bass, “Hardly 2”, has a hypnotic feel with almost chanted vocals that pull you in closely, a chiming guitar adding light as droning electronic tones fly overhead. Ending the album beautifully “Barely Breathing” is a melancholy delight, rich drones, distant vocals, funeral melodies and hypnotic percussion all combining to drag you in one last time , the fact that it takes a few listens to hear all the lyrics adds to the mystery as each hearing paints a bigger story, a whispered conversation you were not meant to hear.
Experimental, Drone, Wyrd-Folk, whatever you choose to call it, this is a magnificent album that is rich in textures and melodies and will be a long lasting companion in your music collection for many years.
- Ptolemaic Terrascope