Collection D’Arnell-Andréa – A Forest Inside (Album – Infrastition)
Genre/Influences: Dark-Wave, Dark-Pop, Electronic.
Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.
Background/Info: French collective Collection D’Arnell-Andréa are back on track unleashing their twelfth studio-album. It was first released by German label Trisol as digital-edit at the end of 2023, and in early 2024 Infrastition released the CD-edit while there’s also a vinyl edit released by Meidosem Records. It also is the first new album since “A Recrafted Winter” (2019).
Content: This album brings the ‘classical’ sound of the French formation alive which means deeply, melancholic, compositions evoking the darkest hours of Dark-Wave music with an extra and explicit electronic touch. It also was a noticeable evolution at the previous work but the electronic side became more radical resulting in a few up-tempo dance floor-songs. The female vocals by Chloé St Liphard are fragile while Jean-Christophe D’Arnell’s timbre of voice reminds me of Brandan Perry.
+ + + : This new opus has been released thirty five years after the band’s debut-album. What I like is that this band clearly has evolved with time holding on to their very unique, melancholic, New-Wave music while becoming more Electro-driven at the same time. The songs sound refreshing although creating a well-crafted sonic bridge between the past and present. It remains gentle, subtle and deeply artistic; like an osmosis between real instruments injecting this melancholic touch as a true trademark at one side and Electronic vibes at the other side. Hard to say if this is my favorite album of the band but it definitely is one of my favorites. Collection D’Arnell-Andréa became more accessible -also because of the English vocals but simply moving on with time while avoiding to jump on fashion trends.
– – – : I don’t see true minus points.
Conclusion: An album full of elegance and devotion, poetry and sensibility, melancholy and danceable; a masterpiece!
Best songs: “A Blackbird In A Dark World”, “The Colour Of Your Mind”, “Waiting For Meaulnes”, “Snowdrops In A Grove”, “The Realm Of Memories”.
Rate: 9.
Artist: www.cdaa.free.fr / www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063480910020
Label: www.infrastition.com / www.facebook.com/infrastition Read the news on ‘A Forest Inside’.
Listen to “A Forest Inside”:
About Collection d’Arnell-Andréa
Collection d’Arnell-Andréa, a French neoclassical darkwave group, was formed in 1986 by Jean-Christophe d’Arnell, Pascal Andréa, and Chloé St Liphard. Although Andréa departed shortly after the band’s inception, his name remained part of the band’s identity. The band’s sound is characterized by a blend of keyboards, cello, and the vocals of Chloé. They are known for their expansive ensemble of musicians during live shows and have played at various international festivals. Their work often explores themes from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The band’s initial four albums were released under New Rose from 1989 to 1994. Their fifth album, “Cirses des champs” (1996), and the compilation “Coll AGE 1988-1998”, were issued by Last Call Records. In 2002, Prikosnovénie took over as the band’s independent label until 2010, reissuing previous albums with additional tracks. More recent works include “Another Winter” and “A Recrafted Winter”, released in 2019 by Trisol Music. “A Forest Inside” followed as a digital release in November 2023, with the CD and vinyl editions arriving through Infrastition and Meidosem Records in early 2024.
You can read an interview with Collection d’Arnell-Andréa for more on the band’s approach to this album.
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