vague mémoire

By Philip James de Vries

Montreal-based producer Byron makes his debut as Vague Mémoire with full-length With The World Of Dreams. The album is a seven-track work of dense sound collages, consisting of synthesizers, guitars, feedback, field recordings and enough delay to make many of the sounds on the album indiscernible.

With The World Of Dreams is a predominantly ambient and psychedelic album, however it also hosts a fair share of abrupt, dissonant structures and samples. As a result of this sonic variety, the album's auditory signature is confusing, stuck in the ether between calming ambient music and loosely assembled experimental music.

However, while many of these songs are awe-inducing and inviting in their own peculiar ways, halfway through each of these works Byron shifts the direction of the tracks completely, dropping in kick drums and redefining the songs, changing them from arhythmic soundscapes to left-field experiments built of staccato samples and dissonant percussion.

While it's easy to get lost in Byron's droning sensibilities — which are undoubtedly where his talents lie here — With The World Of Dreams guides us up mountains of euphoria only to lead us astray before permitting us to reach the peak, causing us to hurtle back down the mountainside, much like Sisyphus: over and over again.
(Brothers and Sisters) - exclaim.ca

Review – “With the World of Dreams” – Vague Mémoire
Posted on March 10, 2014 by jackderricourt
reviewed by Jack Derricourt

How many times have you walked down the street or stood by a dramatic body of water, imagining your life had a soundtrack? The most promising musical artists can make us feel as if we have been given such a gift, whether it is spoken through guitars and feedback, or strings and gongs, or a throbbing bass tone network. The debut release from Vague Mémoire, With the World of Dreams, is an imaginative collection of loops and live mixes that threatens to worm its way into your speculative soundtrack.

The album, released by Montreal’s Brothers and Sisters records this month, is a mellow one on the whole. Dub and Krautrock team up all over the tracks, fusing driving percussion with ghostly samples. If I had a car to drive, I would play this on a long, dark night ride into the heart of Northern Ontario, as twists and turns mounted up and became innumerable. And in case you’re looking for credentials, Byron, the producer of this electronic feast, was one of the group of musicians that backed up Damo Suzuki last year.

The settings for With the World of Dreams are appropriately diverse. Voices fill up “Bad Memories” like a deep proscenium stage. Synth lines stretch out, telling a long tale, while the puckering lyrics pop up like gophers. It’s an interesting effect, one that demonstrates Vague Mémoire’s unique take on the traiditional elements of melody and lyric from the first moments of the full length. “Breathe Into the Pocket” is adversely reserved, synth strings cast off in the distance while muted beats keep control of the foreground. The chugging loops of “Permanent Phase” feel like a benumbed journey up river, into the heart of the jungle; glittering tones cast back from left channel to right, but a sonorous beat continues steadily along, like a singing clock. These are very different terrains, places that Byron wants listeners to dream within, and cast themselves anew with each change of setting.

If you like electronic music, you’ll find a lot to enjoy on this release. Byron has found a method of sonic assembly that works for him, yet he pushes the music in enough directions to keep things interesting. If, like me, you don’t know much about the world of loops and ticks, this album offers an easy introduction to some of the more mellow elements of contemporary electronic music. Give it a shot the next time you’re wishing for a soundtrack to ease your mind — the journey Vague Mémoire will take you on is a beautiful one.

Rating: Strong Hoot (Good)

Top Tracks: “Bad Memories” ; “Permanent Phase” - Grayowl Point - Giving a hoot about Canadian music

Vague Mémoire - With The World Of Dreams (Brothers and Sisters)

Montreal-based producer Byron makes his debut as Vague Mémoire with full-length With The World Of Dreams. The album, available both on CD and as a free digital download (see below), is a seven-track work of dense collages of sound, consisting of synthesizers, guitars, feedback, field recordings, and enough delays to make many of the sounds on the album indiscernible.

With The World Of Dreams is a predominantly ambient and psychedelic album, however it also hosts a fair share of abrupt, dissonant structures and samples. As a result of this sonic variety, the album’s auditory signature is confusing, stuck in the ether between calming ambient music and loosely assembled experimental music. The first two opening tracks for example, “Bad Memories” and “Colliding,” open with soothing droning textures that set Vague Mémoire up to be an artist of introspective beauty (“Colliding” at first sounding like a wonderful Gregorian chant orchestrated by monks under the influence of a good batch of magic mushrooms).

However, while these songs are awe-inducing and inviting in their own peculiar ways, halfway through each of these works Byron shifts the direction of the tracks completely, dropping in kick drums out of nowhere and redefining the songs, changing them from arhythmic soundscapes to left-field experiments built of staccato samples and dissonant percussion. The majority of the album follows this oddly dichotomous structural recipe, with the exception of a couple of more outright experimental dabbles.

While it’s easy to get lost in Byron’s droning sensibilities — which are undoubtedly where his talents lie here — Vague Mémoire guides us up mountains of euphoria only to lead us astray before permitting us to reach the peak, causing us to hurtle back down the mountainside much like Sisyphus, over and over again.

Artist: Vague Mémoire | Album: With The World Of Dreams | Released: March 2014
Label: Brothers and Sisters | Genre: Ambient, Experimental
Rating: 3/5 - Analog Sermon - A Canadian Music Website

*byron's other musical project (LOW-KI)

LOW-KI – Wolf (from the album Songs In The Key Of Low) - SILENT SHOUT:

It takes a bit to get going, but this slow burning atmospheric dark pop/hip-hop track is a very promising debut from Montreal duo Low-Ki. Check them out if you like jj as much as I do. - SILENT SHOUT