The duo
Minit (Jasmine Guffond and Torben Tilly) have taken a slightly more melancholic turn for their first release on Staubgold. Their two previous efforts released on the Sigma label were more abstract. This one marks an increase in lushness, smoothness, and dreamy near-melodies. In fact,
Now Right Here could be described as a cross between
Fennesz's
Venice and
Rosy Parlane's
Iris. It has the filtered instrumental/melodic component of the former and the softer noise textures of the latter. The album consists of four extended pieces, nine to 19 minutes in duration. The title track is the longest one, and it opens the set. Klara Logan is credited for some French horn, but retracing it would be pointless, as the piece is a delicately layered construction of treated drones and textures. The filiations with post-rock and post-
Fennesz experimental ambient are obvious, yet the piece stands its own ground (maybe for just two or three minutes too long). "CG" is the only piece not credited to the whole duo. Guffond wrote it for a video by Aaron Rogers; its cinematic-less drones make you wonder how it related to the images, but it makes a good stand-alone piece, one of the disc's highlights. "IJ Variation" runs out of ideas long before its end, especially when compared to the engrossing "Ijmuiden" that closes the set. The latter is a slow-motion battle between order and chaos, as layer after layer of textured noise and treated instruments are looped and arranged. This last piece brings to mind
Oren Ambarchi's work on
Grapes from the Estate.
Now Right Here is a very nice album for daydreaming with an attitude. ~ François Couture