Let’s be honest: the first impressions left by the opener »Exolition« are not exactly thrilling. Theatrical vocals and portentous bass playing initially suggest an excess of affectation. That As Above, So Below would go on to become one of the albums of the year is far from obvious at this point. Yet already on »La Colline au Ciel«, the combination of cool French vocals and weighty bass music works so remarkably well that you feel transported simultaneously to Bristol basements and a Stereolab concert. Advanced art music, fired straight into the ear. It fits that the French artist OKO DJ was once associated with the label Brothers From Different Mothers.
What follows sees the building blocks with which Marine Tjordemann conjures states of rapture continually shift – language, the use of organic drumming – while the overall effect remains unchanged. The album hits with full force because it distils an aesthetic that feels seamless, despite being assembled from so many disparate parts. There is the Auto-Tuned post-rock of »Formentera«, which collides Tropic of Cancer with club music from the Global South. Or the spectacular self-assurance with which Tjordemann commands »Je suis la Terre qui absorbe Dieu«, dictating the action and claiming every last spark of attention. Existentialism meets weariness of life. The result is a flawless apathy, one you might gladly listen to until collapse.
As Above, So Below
