Behind every Catherine Graindorge album there is considerable conceptual authority. The Belgian cellist and violinist (in this latest album also playing a harmonium), known for her important collaborations with Nick Cave, Iggy Pop and Mark Lanegan, this time takes inspiration from Greek mythology and the culture of the beat generation. The bond between the two worlds is connected to the concept of death, of resurrection through dreams. At the center is the dramatic story of Joan Wollmer – William Burroughs' wife who died in gruesome circumstances, killed with a blow to the head by her husband who improvised as a emulator of William Tell – and the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.
An even more restless project than the previous album “Eldorado”, Graindorge's new work is nourished by the strident contrast between reality and dreams, between love and death. The faithful collaborator Simon Ho, Pascal Humbert (16 Horsepower, Lilium, Détroit) on double bass and Simon Huw Jones (And Also The Trees) on vocals are the traveling companions of this melancholic and funereal excursus modern classical and post-rock by the Belgian musician.
Strings, violin, choirs and spoken word they immediately dictate the coordinates of the album (“Eurydice”), entrusting the following to an instrumental crescendo with expertly minimal tones, where oriental arias appear set on patterns electronic and deceptively angelic vocal and instrumental sounds (“The Unvisited Garden”) and an almost rock momentum with a decidedly dark imprint that recalls Nick Cave, also due to the vocal similarities of Simon Huw Jones with the Australian singer-songwriter.
The variations on the theme are all pregnant: Catherine's voice heightens tension and magic in “Joan”, while Simon Huw Jones lets dust residues and a feeling of imminent tragedy filter through in the solemn recitation of “This Is A Dream”.
The dramatic crescendo of the album for a moment seems to implode in the rough and scratchy “Where The Buzzards Fly”, a tension that the last track, “Time Is Broken”, attempts to dilute with a three-voice song (Simon, Catherine and his daughter), in an attempt to reawaken a faint hope that remains suspended.
Although Catherine Graindorge's skillful narration attenuates those style references that risk undermining its originality, “Songs For The Dead” does not enjoy a sound setup that is entirely up to the premise. Dark and reflective, the Belgian musician's album deserves attention and discernment, but is unlikely to win favor outside the circle of fans of the genre.
10/19/2024
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
