Colleen @ Mains d'Œuvres, Paris

"Colleen":http://www.colleenplays.org/ 's superb third album will be released on Monday on the "Leaf Label":http://www.theleaflabel.com/template.php.It is called "Les Ondes Silencieuses", and it is somewhat a departure from her previous records, she focused her work not so much on samples and loops but more on natural sounds coming from period instruments such as a custom made Viola de Gamba or a spinet (a kind of harpsichord), and the end result is truly beautiful."Sun Against My Eyes":http://www.ravensingstheblues.com/mp3/Sun_Against_My_Eyes.mp3"Blue Sands":http://www.ravensingstheblues.com/mp3/Blue_Sands.mp3I was fortunate to get hold of a copy at the gig she played last Friday in Paris.The evening actually started with a performance of "Perrine Valli":http://www.perrinevalli.fr/html_en/index.htm, a French dancer for whom Colleen wrote music for her "Série" project (The whole piece being composed of six short solos).It was a perfect match with Colleen's delicate soundscapes.Colleen did not use any prerecorded elements, but a variety of instruments (viola de gamba, classical guitar, clarinet, music boxes and wind chimes) and the occasional use of loops and delay pedals brought her live music closer to the feel of her albums. _"Les Ondes Silencieuses" is also the French name given to the infrasonic precursors to earthquakes that can only be heard by animals._