Je suis calme et enragé·e
Ambiances Magnétiques, 2025
9/10
Listen to Je suis calme et enragé·e
These 6 tracks from Nour Symon showcase 4 vocalists who intone the music in chorus, plus 2 instrumental soloists from Collectif Ad Lib as well as by 6 instrumentalists from Ensemble SuperMusique.
“Nous étions masques, miracles, empêtrées dans l’enthousiasme” begins with a droning backdrop amid many voices that talk and sing, while the brief bouts of music is used sparsely, and “J’espère être absoute” follows with both dramatic and gentler moments, where strings are manipulated with much atmosphere.
“Affalée sur le sol” occupies the middle spot and is firm, nearly harsh, in its tense and emotive presence that employs guttural vocals, though it’s the 12 minutes of the highly experimental and ambient “Ils ont dit que le ciel se couvrirait d’aiguilles” that’s worth the price of admission, as voices are used like instruments and instruments are gestured with sci-fi tendencies.
“Il n’y a rien à dire sur l’humanité” exits the listen, and it’s a harmonic and percussively strong finish that builds into dense layers of strings, brass and winds.
A truly iconoclastic affair that embraces noise, poeticism, jazz and chamber nods, Nour Symon’s vision is entirely their own, and that’s a big part of the appeal.
Travels well with: Quatuor Bozzini/junctQin Keyboard Collective- Rebecca Bruton + Jason Doell: a root or mirror, blossom, madder, cracks; together; Nicola Miller- Living Things