Tryphème
Odd Balade
Impatience
Club-focused darkwave has been the sound of the past couple of years, but that’s not to suggest that there haven’t been interesting developments in the more sedate corners of the genre. Recent records by Hada and Feyleux have conjured classic atmospheres with modern approaches to production and songwriting, and produced engrossing and varied results. Arriving at a similar juncture is French artist Tiphaine Belin, whose new LP as Tryphème Odd Balade expands upon the ambient electronics of her earlier work to craft lush dreamscapes.
The step forward Odd Balade represents from preceding release To Pick Musics Up? is exemplified in the slow roll of first single “Sandy Family”. Blooming from a pensive vocal and kick drum to drift between choral synths, twangy guitar and chorused bass, it’s an enveloping and deeply calming piece that’s half early Xymox, half Julee Cruise. Tryphème’s interest in electro-acoustic experimentation can still be tracked in the cut and pan heavy filigree of “Heavy Blossom”, but eschewing minimalism purely for its own sake pays off: “Nightingale” brings just enough modern production and sound sculpting to give what could have been a rote classic coldwave exercise real contour and depth.
The tension between a “less is more” philosophy and deep production indulgence is what gives Odd Balade real legs as an LP. A piece like “Stroke Of Luck” is compositionally dead simple, holding to a single bass riff and drum fill, but the art is in the build and release of the increasingly psychedelic elements being layered atop that foundation, like a more baroque version of Sixth June’s “Tatjana”. On the other side of the spectrum, the liquid synth strings of “Dancing In The Rain” set the stage for Belin’s ethereal vocal harmonies but never cede control to the tasteful production touches which emerge.
An elegant record guided by poise, restraint, and grace, Odd Balade is a reminder that atmosphere and substance can sit in equanimity. Belin’s talents for sound design were established before this release, but here her instincts bring her into truly interesting and rewarding territory. Recommended.
