French artist Melody Prochet’s debut album under the Melody’s Echo Chamber moniker is a hazy and ambiguous avant-pop escapade. The album’s most pointed moments aren’t soaking saccharine hooks, they’re cooly spoken. Opening track, I Follow You, is a mattressy power-pop gem. The song’s power lies as much in the up-front guitar sound as in the stress that is left out. Something is being withheld and there’s a hint of pained longing in the supressed urgency. Prochet’s voice has a breathy sweetness and on Some Time Alone, Alone and Endless Shore she illustrates her restrained melodic panache. She eschews the need for demonstrative gymnastics and takes on a tone akin to Nico’s unrequiting distance. It’s a fine balance though, to speak without exerting, and sometimes the vocals sink into the scenery.
The album was produced by Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker and he is a crucial participant in generating the fuzzy, suggestive atmosphere. He diverts the sound from the straight path, but not in a jarring manner. Synthesisers are widely used to highlight moods and their prevalent inclusion is clearly reminiscent of Parker’s proven penchant for psychedelic keyboard implementation. Bass-lines climb beside the vocal melodies, countering and modifying them. This reminds the senses not to uphold listening expectations for ‘what I know and must receive’. The drums are not hidden in the mist, they are room-audible. The guitar sound has a shoegazey rawness and on I’ll Follow You and Bisou Magique the reverbing saturation causes a bodily sensation.
The songs evoke visions of swirling colours but the shapes these colours form are not always distinct. However, when the sound appears to meander it could be claimed that it’s due to choosing to feed an emotional tendency, instead of following an abstract formula.
The album follows a majestic direction, illustrating that obeying the norm can be a most drab routine.
BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
Best Track: Some Time Alone, Alone
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