JULIAN JULIEN — Terre II (review)

JULIAN JULIEN — Terre II album cover Album · 2015 · Jazz Related Improv/Composition Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
js
With so much self-produced and self-released music coming out these days, there has to be some serious flotsam and jetsam piling up out there, which is a shame because not all self-released projects are thrown together indulgences. A great example of someone who releases self-produced albums that contain painstaking craftsmanship and a high level of composition is Julian Julien and his latest opus, “Terre II”. Like Julian’s previous albums, “Terre II’ features an interesting mix of mini-soundtracks, instrumental exotica, chamber art-pop, nu jazz and that peculiar form of French art-rock known as zeuhl. The main difference with “Terre II”, when compared to his earlier albums, is there is more use of ambience this time around, with many tracks being more about floating textures rather than more specific melodies. Whether this is good or bad is just a matter of taste, but despite a slightly different musical direction, “Terre II” still features all the careful craftsmanship revealed on Julian’s previous albums. Also, Julian’s use of ambience does not get overly fluffy, as many an ambient moment is topped with expressive, sometimes atonal horn solos.

So many references come to mind when listening to Julian’s music, particularly those artists who know how to create a very personal atmosphere, for instance late 70s Brian Eno and Bo Hanson, Chico Hamilton’s 50s exotic chamber jazz, Brian Wilson and Les Baxter as well. Every song on here is like a miniature world to itself, but all the songs flow together to make an almost soundtrack effect. Some of the better cuts include title track “Terre II” with its jazzy sax solo, “Alleurs”, which features a lazy semi-classical melody orchestrated with flute and bass clarinet floating over an obstinate Celeste, and “Iris V”, which features buzzing synth drones and melodies over a driving hand percussion beat.
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