23 November 2002
The
latest offering by the master of the synthesiser, Jean Michel Jarre,
aims to take you on a journey through the final year of the 20th
century.
The
latest offering by the master of the synthesiser, Jean Michel Jarre,
aims to take you on a journey through the final year of the 20th
century. Recorded for Parisian label Disques Dreyfus, it's far removed
from the shiny synth classics Oxygene and Equinox
that soundtracked a thousand 80s nature documentaries. The album is
laced with acoustic instruments (a mix of live playing and samples)
placed over a backdrop of seamless ambient electronics and soft trip hop
grooves, with chilled jazzy undertones throughout.
Sessions 2000
contains 6 tracks recorded by Jarre and long term collaborator Francis
Rimbert, each one named after a specific day of the year. The album
opens with ''January 24th'' with a soundscape of bubbling, piano scaling
and fake double bass plucking that places you in the midst of a passing
rainstorm.
By ''March 23rd'', I
was surprisingly mesmerised and really loving the dispersed hail of
acoustic trumpeting sprayed over a lazily swaying groove, although I
felt this track slightly outstayed its welcome; after 8 minutes of
losing myself in the long spring grass I emerged feeling slightly hazy
and unbalanced.
''May 1st'' has to be
by far Jarre's finest day of the year (unfortunately the shortest track
on the album) with a soft pulsing backdrop underpinning a stunning piano
acoustic throughout, while the album tails off with the much more
subdued end of year offering that is ''December 17th''.
The whole album left me
feeling unbelievably serene, standing on the station platform in rush
hour listening through headphones I felt so unusually calm and
composed. It is the perfect remedy for dismissing the chaos around you,
although if you need the ability to concentrate throughout your day
then I suggest you file this album under the 'purely for lounge
listening' category.
Reviewer: Lorna Palmer
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