TROP TÔT with Leif Elggren
CD, Firework Edition Records (Swe), FER1116, 4 panel digipak-matte finish, Ltd 200
OUT OF STOCK. Price in euros (shipping included) : 13.-
Composed and performed by Francisco Meirino & Leif Elggren, feat. Laura Daengeli, edited, mixed and mastered at Shiver Mobile by Francisco Meirino.
Tracklist
1 Litte Idiot
Leif Elggren : voice, tin-can-crowns, razors, electronics, text.
Francisco Meirino : computer, electronics and field recordings.
2 Petit Idiot
Laura Daengeli : voice.
Francisco Meirino : electronics and field recordings.
Leif Elggren : text.
3 Trop Tôt / Too Early
Leif Elggren : voice, razors, tin-can-crowns, electronics, text.
Francisco Meirino : computer, electronics and field recordings.
Laura Daengeli: voice.
French texts translated by Rip on/off, taken from Leif Elggren's book "Un peu comm voir dans la nuit", Van Dieren Editeur.
REVIEWS
Vital Weekly
Upon glancing at the cover, I was seeing that Leif Elggren has 'text' in each of the three pieces, and that these texts are in French; then upon playing 'Little Idiot', the opening piece, we hear Elggren's voice and I though this was going to be one of those 'lots of spoken word, little music' releases, which is not something I necessarily like. But after a few minutes, something happens, and the tone of the piece changes and the text seems to be in a totally different place; mostly likely it seems to be gone. What happens then, not only in this piece, but also in the third and longest piece, 'Trop Tot/Too Early', is an excellent mix of field recordings, electronics, computer (courtesy of Meirino) and tin-can-crowns, razors, electronics (Elggren).
It has a certain freedom, almost like this has been captured in (live-) action, but seeing no such thing mentioned on the cover, I doubt that. Everything moves along side each other and in ever changing constellations seem to drop by again and again. That last text has a bit of text towards the end, like bookends these texts I was thinking, and is spoken by Laura Daengeli, who also speaks in the second, short 'Petit Idiot', which seems to be all text against some line hum. I am big fan of both artists; Elggren for his more conceptual edges and Meirino for his noisy sound constructions, built from the waste of an audio-dump, both hardware as well as sound.
This work is perhaps less collage like than some of his solo work, but it grows in intensity every time you play this. I thought this was a great and those spoken word bits work very much in favour of the release, as it becomes another of those Elggren filled release of riddles. Powerful and haunting.
(FdW)
Sound Of Music
This is music and text on the outermost edge of the time. Elggren makes everything seem like it came from any future, looking back at our own time. What the text is tracking fills us with questions. But there are no answers.
Do we have any answers?
The lyrics come from his remarkable magic little book "Something like seeing in the dark" from 2011. The order was strong already as a silent reading, which cheered out like bad marks on the white pages. With the low vibrating stitch next to the fair, he is now in line. A remarkable experience of darkness, though there may be an inclination of light, an experience of its inner guess of positions, wondering if others exist. At the same time the head is filled with thoughts of immortality, the voice creates moods, which commute between dream and hatred, apathy and aggressiveness. But no expression, voice and words act as an audio generator, where all eyes are ruled out and only an inner path and movement filled with guesses and non-knowledge.
One way to turn your eyes on.
The text mentions canned cans under the bed, something noticeable, an amount that also rages and moves on the disc. Like crawling under the bed of someone I do not know. The vibrating insecurity of the voice and the words and tremendous reimbursement of the eyes spread like rings on the dark waters of the sounds, which almost hypnotic occupy the room I am in and listen to. Like hearing everything around and not understanding, more than longing, fear, fear and unanswered questions and unconfirmed guesses. The first track "Little idiot" is also read in French by Laura Daengeli and then with an annoying whim as Meirino put under the text, which actually sounds different, rounder, more dangerous in translation. The sound breathes like of death in the background. When the text reiterates that you suis seule, you suis seule, sounds and words swear together as acid throughout the body.
The second big paragraph, "Trop Tôt / Too early", is like a continuation of "Little idiot", a free floating one. First of all, listening to the echo after the darkness of the previous text. A manic suspect shakes and a pulse moving in circles and closes me in step by step second after second. This is one of the most suggestive electronic-acoustic works I have experienced. Every stinging noise hurts and attracts at the same time. In all, anas fragment of the voice, as if the words were broken from one and fallen into pieces and now seek recipients and each other. Or vice versa. Perhaps this long paragraph, which is said to be too early, is a precursor to the first paragraph of the text, so to speak prenatally. It is Laura Daengeli's voice that shapes words in French. It touches the hidden, for me, it sounds like paved roads, a sort of misfortune to orientate. At the same time, a finding, one look back over the shoulder, for this ana's dissolution, war, violence. Something passed, a transition. For what?
I think for a few seconds, when my French fools me on the mighty pictures of the Danish artist Palle Nielsen, where houses, land, people are tense and burst into a disaster; Elggren has taken one of these people and given her words, reflection, an attempt to give dark noise. Daengeli's voice is silent in a sound that is almost similar to a short sudden dazzling shine.
Over.
Final.
As a message from somewhere. Never the silence after a disc has been so definite. Rarely does anyone like Elggren have the ability to regain their dreams.
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