Sylvain Chauveau Albums (6)
'The Black Book of Capitalism'
Release Date 2/17/2009
Tracks 13
Label Type
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What The Critics Say
Among Sylvain Chauveau's many other musical pursuits are his soundtracks, with Nuage being a compilation of two of them, both for fellow Frenchman Sebastian Betbeder's work -- Nuage itself and a shorter film, Les Mains d'Andrea. Both are logical extensions of his exploratory work with extremely minimal (but not minimalist) string and piano arrangements, along with guitar from Chauveau himself, though his direct contributions appear even more sparingly in comparison to the other instruments. While the instrumentation may suggest the work of Michael Nyman, in intent and end result Chauveau has a much different goal than that noted British composer's film scores with its mix of track lengths and often quicker, more dramatic tempos. The many selections on the short disc are all swift themselves -- many only just making it past a minute long -- and as a result, the effect of Nuage is not entirely removed from his "regular" work, with the pieces suggesting larger or more developed melodies but leaving them, tantalizingly enough, in encapsulated form. To hear the strings and piano start to swell just a touch on "Nuage II" and then cease suddenly is to know that Chauveau has both a good eye as well as a good ear. In combination with the distinctly calm pace of nearly every selection -- all the string parts are slow, with piano providing melody as it occurs -- the effect is mesmerizing. In intentional contrast to nearly all the selections is a piece towards the end of the Nuage tracks, "Fly Like a Horse," which is both the longest at nearly five minutes and the most distinctly different, thanks to Chauveau's guitar work fully coming to the fore with a gentle figure also acting as rhythm, while electronic horns provide a soft fanfare in the background. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
'Down to the Bone: An Acoustic Tribute to Depeche Mode'
Release Date 11/8/2005
Tracks 11
Label DSA
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'Nocturne Impalpable'
Release Date 1/1/2001
Tracks 3
Label Disques du Soleil et de l'Acier
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What The Critics Say
It has become somewhat of a cliché to unearth the skeletons of Claude Debussy and Erik Satie when writing about any French composer who takes the path of quiet melancholia. Nevertheless, Sylvain Chauveau's Nocturne Impalpable does borrow a lot from La Mer and the composer of the Gnossiennes and Gymnopédies. The former's delicate touch permeates through the long chords of the string trio (two cellos and a viola) in "Radiophonie No. 1." The latter's sedated piano style is found everywhere on the album, and particularly in "Nocturne Urbain." Chauveau, a member of Micro:Mega, has written short pieces based on fragile piano motifs (played by Olivier Lageyre). Strings (Olivier Cavaillé, Eugen Fabris, and Benoît Génot), clarinet (Matthias Meier), trumpet (Xavier Carrière), and accordion (Vincent Pouplard) complete the instrumentation, each at a time. Some would connect this music to the cathartic post-rock stylings of Godspeed You Black Emperor!, but Nocturne Impalpable lacks moments of brutal clarity to let the comparison stand -- and it sounds too clean and precise. More soft-spoken, the music remains closer to Man, another act signed by the label Disques du Soleil et de l'Acier, minus the rock aspect (there is not a single percussion instrument here). Chauveau's discreet electronics weave ambiences that enhance the mood of the pieces. The running order manages room to breathe in the form of six untitled tracks of field recordings and electronics -- promenades between stations of this night walk. Nocturne Impalpable may be pretty, even touching at times, but that doesn't make it striking. ~ François Couture, All Music Guide
'Le Livre Noir du Capitalisme'
Release Date 1/1/2000
Tracks 13
Label Noise Museum
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What The Critics Say
Le Livre Noir du Capitalisme ("The Black Book of Capitalism," an obvious inverted reference to Chinese communist leader Mao's famous little red book) is the first solo album from Micro:Mega's Sylvain Chauveau. Released to little notice in May 2000 on Noise Museum, it gathered more attention upon its reissue by Disques du Soleil et de l'Acier two years later. It sure deserves the attention: It stands as one of so-called post-rock's most convincing achievements. Using melancholy melodies, light electronics, found sounds, viola and cello, piano, and accordion, Chauveau has encapsulated the full ethos of dreamy, cinematic post-rock music in his album. Tracks are short and ethereal, with evocative sound collages filling in whenever simple Erik Satie-esque melodies take a pause. Titles like "Et Peu à Peu les Flots Respiraient Comme On Pleure" (Little By Little the Waters Were Breathing Like One Cries), "Dernière Étape Avant le Silence" (Last Step Before Silence), and "Je Suis Vivant et Vous Êtes Morts" (I Am Alive and You Are Dead) brush a bleak portrait, but Chauveau's music never succumbs to raw, unmediated emotion. There is always a second or third level of analysis, and things are more complex and intertwined than they first seem to be -- like in real life or in a Jean-Luc Godard film (after all, isn't it his initials hiding behind the piece "JLG"?). Le Livre Noir du Capitalisme is a painfully personal work with a certain adolescent character (and yet so mature in the balance it reaches). That's why it provides a more compelling listen than the follow-up, Nocturne Impalpable. ~ François Couture, All Music Guide
