Indalaska – Poésie Surnaturelle (Cassette Album – Ikuisuus)
Genre/Influences: Experimental, cinematographic, ambient.
Background/Info: Indalaska is a new project set up by the brothers Frédéric and Olivier Charlot. You maybe know them from the ritual-like project Maninkari while they’re also involved with the IDM-inspired Sphyxion. “Poésie Surnaturelle” is the debut work from their newest project, which is available as a very limited (100 copies) cassette.
Content: “Poésie Surnaturelle” is an ambient voyage throughout experimental- and mainly minimalistic sound fields. The reason to this minimal approach is the use of restricted equipment. The songs are quite similar in tonalities while sharper sound treatments inject a colder touch. The sounds aren’t comparable to an organ and yet it reminds me of this magic and mainly baroque instrument.
+ + + : The least I can say is that the Charlot brothers are clearly interested in very different kinds of music although the influences remain somewhat related. I here like the icy sounds, which have something frightening and visual-like. Indalaska is a project with a very own sound much like their other projects.
– – – : The minimalism resulting from the lack of equipment also leads to similar tracks. This is an album I like for its first cuts, but it becomes a bit monotonous after a while.
Conclusion: I like the global approach and concept behind Indalaska, but –and from a very personal point of view, it’s the least fascinating project driven by the French brothers.
Best songs: “Poésie Surnaturelle – Part 1”, “Poésie Surnaturelle – Part 3”.
Rate: (6).
Artist: www.facebook.com/Maninkari-599436470187048
Label: http://ikuisuuslabel.blogspot.com / www.facebook.com/Ikuisuus
About Indalaska
Indalaska is a side project of French brothers Olivier and Frédéric Charlot, best known for the instrumental duo Maninkari, formed in Paris in 2006 and active since with a catalogue mixing composition and improvisation across art rock, shamanic and soundtrack influences, including the “Continuum Sonore” series and film scores such as “Phantasmes” and “Ruins Of Time”. The brothers also record as the minimal-wave project Sphyxion.
“Poésie Surnaturelle”, reviewed here and limited to 100 cassette copies on the Finnish label Ikuisuus, was followed by further Indalaska releases including “Tempus Fugit” (2019), “Oeuvre Lunaire” (2020) and “Musique Des Sables” (2023, Zoharum).
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