Colleen Biography
Cecile Schott, France. Colleen creates delicate electronica embroidered with found sounds, including loops of infant speech, reversed music boxes, birdsong, scratchy chamber music 78s, acoustic guitar and CDs from the libraries of Paris Mediatheques. Schott admitted to borrowing liberally for the recording of her 2003 debut, Everyone Alive Wants Answers. Throughout the album, musical phrases were repeated in beautiful patterns. On "Carry Cot", minimalist guitar loops were juxtaposed with samples of a child's voice and underscored with a subdued, heartbeat-like pulse. "Your Heart On Your Sleeve", meanwhile, routed 60s pop melodies through scratchy edits and tape hiss and audio crackles peppered the release.
Schott is a school teacher in her home city and Colleen was apparently conceived after she bought a computer to write her Masters in English translation and was given a disk of free music editing software by a friend. Despite this means of production, Schott rejected the option of performing live with her laptop. Rather, she reassembled her musical creations using acoustic instruments including melodica, glockenspiel, cello, concertina, and music boxes. The result was a work of uncommon loveliness and nostalgic beauty, with Schott explaining she wanted "to find something that was between sadness and something a bit lighter. Like covering yourself in a blanket."
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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