I must admit, when someone puts on ambient mood music my instinctive reaction is to get up and move somewhere far away… that or cover my ears and start singing ‘la la la laaaa’. Mature. Things were a little different, however, when I spent some times listening to Blue, the new track by Quebec duo and mood music connoisseurs, Fjord.
Your new found love for ambient electronic music may just come from out of the blue upon discovering the intricate melodies of Fjord.
Thomas Casault and Louis-Étienne Santais, all beards and French accents, create, what could be described as, moody electronic pop music. Steeped in nostalgia and oozing self-reflection – initially I was close to cynical and most definitely critical – this track is an immersive emotional journey. It wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, however after a few listens and some serious research I discovered two things.
The first is that the word ‘reparations’ when pronounced in a French- Canadian accent will immediately make me smile and flick my eyes around the room in the hopes that someone else is having the same reaction, regardless of whether I am the only person in that room or not, (listen out for it in the second verse), and the second is that although I may not love this style of music there is still a great amount of talent here which should be respected regardless of musical preferences.
Blue kicks off with a beautifully delicate voice, smoky in tone, questioning life and love whilst a moody keyboard creates ambiance underneath. Easily mistaken for a female, this voice actually belongs to Thomas Casault whose vocal control and impressive falsetto is evident as he soars through the chorus and over the simple synthesised rhythms that keep a steady pace below. This contrast between complexities in music and vocals really allows Casault to shine.
Although there is a beautiful harmony in the way the track ebbs and flows as a whole, it is clear that the composition is specifically designed to support the vocals and to define the emotional plane on which this song will unfold.
Blue comes three months after Fjord’s 2014 debut EP As We Lay that plays with similar themes but I feel is not as immersive for the listener. With Canadian music website BRBR showing them love and popular Montreal based website Voir listing them in their top 5 best acts, cultural or local of 2014, it is clear that they have a solid fan base who digs this style of music…so maybe I should just shut up and let my cynicism float away on a wave of electronic organ chords and synthesised strings…we’ll have to see about that.
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