Weekly album: Corpo-Mente - Corpo-Mente

Corpo-Mente - Corpo-Mente

2015  / Trip-hop, Experimental, Baroque

1. Scylla

2. Arsalein 

3. Fia

4. Velandi

5. Dorma

6. Dulcin

7. Equus

8. Ort

9. Saelli

10. Encell

Orostider: If an album would be presented to me by telling its core members are Gautier Serer, best known as his breakcore name Igorrr, and Laure Le Prunenec, known for doing appearances in Igorr songs and her solo project Rïcïnn, I would expect something rather complex and experimental material in the vein of Igorrr. Corpo-Mente is experimental and complex for sure, but it's almost as if it's the calm counterpart of Igorrr. 

Corpo-Mente uses trip-hop, baroque, opera, industrial and post-metal elements and much more and actually succeeds in creating a magnificently powerful and beautiful album with this recipe. The music itself does resemble Igorrr's material in a way, but as I said, Corpo-Mente is 'post-rock' in comparison to Igorrr. Instead of breakcore's noise-ish elements and speed, Corpo-Mente trusts emotional power, unexpected experimenting and a variety of sounds.

The balance between acoustic instruments and electronic instruments is excellent. One could believe that the mix Corpo-Mente is using would sound chaotic and out of place, but the result is actually the exact opposite. There's only minimal amount of chaos and the elements are in order. The way the songs are structured enables the listener to experience massive sensation of power and emotion. 'Arsalein' is probably the song where the massiveness is the clearest. The transition from tranquil parts to the distorted synth walls is just glorious. 

Laure's vocals are one of the main reasons why this album feels so powerfully emotional and wonderful. I tend to worship albums' instrumentations, but this time I'm forced to raise the vocals to the top. The songwriting and the instrumentation are perfect, that's not the point, but Laure's vocals are most likely the best female vocals I've heard. 'Corpo-Mente' is an album where the combination of top notch vocals and music results in an experience that can be revisited several times. 

Favourite songs: 'Arsalein', 'Velandi', 'Dorma'.

btcarey: If you’re looking for something a bit different, or “off the beaten path”, as far as music goes, Corpo-Mente might be right up your ally.  I’m not entirely sure how to define their genre, but the name is probably something artsy, hard to pronounce, and gives the listener no insight as to what they’re about to hear. That being said, I will call the genre “Electroperacoustigasam”….? I know I’m probably going to get shit on by people who really dig this stuff, but as an outsider the music this is as descriptive as I can get.

The music overall is pretty good. It is obviously well crafted and a lot of thought has been put into it. The beats/instruments are dark yet peaceful and the singer’s operatic voice could be described as heavenly; unfortunately, it’s just not my style. After several listening attempts I kept getting distracted. The music just wasn’t able to keep my attention, so I ended up letting it play in the background. This actually turned out to be the best move for me and kind of saved the album. Corpo-Mente makes some pretty kick-ass background music.

If you’re more into traditional musical styles or aren’t feeling very adventurous I would skip Corpo-Mente.  But if Electroperacoustigasam is your kind of music, definitely check this album out.

Favorite Songs: "Fia", "Velandi"

tp5170: I don’t really know what to call the style of Corpo-Mente or how to really describe the thing they are doing.  All I know is that there are these classical female vocals that keep adapting to the highly progressive thing going on at the same time. I can’t say that I have ever heard anything quite like it.

It surprised me was how relaxed I was after listening to the album, despite it not representing the style of music I usually go for. The odd atmosphere of the album and the way all the songs blend together are in my opinion its strong suits. The songs are quite strange, unpredictable and have a really dramatic touch to them, and despite being quite different from each other, they still keep the atmosphere intact almost flawlessly.

Though, I didn’t necessarily like every element or part of album, it didn’t really matter, because it’s the big picture that matters – and as a whole, Corpo-Mente is indeed a rather solid album.

Favourite songs: ‘Ort’, ‘Equus’ and ‘Arsalein’