Album: Melody
Artist: Ensemble Du Verre
Taking twenty minutes to sit back and relax can be very beneficial to your health. However, if you find complete silence unnerving, like me, finding the right music to listen to while taking a moment for yourself is important. Melody from Ensemble Du Verre is perfectly suited to carry you away on gently rolling rhythms of relaxation, and the four track EP with its nineteen minute playing time is perfect for finding those couple of moments to yourself.
Melody is the sixth EP from Ensemble Du Verre and was released in February of this year. Created by composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Sönke Düwer, Ensemble Du Verre creates music that is inspired by contemporary Jazz and R&B, but the infusion of Electronica is what sets their music apart from all of the rest. In fact, I don’t believe that it is fair to confine Sönke’s music to a particular genre, which makes his music all the more interesting and appealing. If you are a fan of bands like Télépopmusik, then you will surely love Ensemble Du Verre.
“Melody for Gliding Through the Universe” is the first track on the EP. The jazz influence is immediately evident, and the soft rise of the electronic effects do not detract from the primary elements. Listening to the song feels like travelling, or rather gliding, through time. The changes in the effects and instruments are so subtle that the flow between sounds is perfectly seamless. This song is a great introduction to the EP.
“Neverending Melody” features Natasha Young, whose voice combines well with Sönke’s music, resulting in a heavier R&B song. It is this track that reminded me of Télépopmusik, mostly because of Natasha’s singing, which is so incredibly soft and sensual. The music rises and falls in perfect harmony with the vocals, and creates a song that can be simply listened to, but I enjoy dancing to it as well.
“MC Mellow D. (Instrumental)” and “Melody for Millions” are similar to the first track on the album. However, the tenor saxophone played by Penrose Feast in “MC Mellow D. (Instrumental)” adds an interesting layer on top of the other sounds. Typically, I find a saxophone to be jarring, but for some reason the sound complemented the other instruments and effects very well. “Melody for Millions” is seemingly more chaotic in its composure, yet it feels as though there is an underlying structure to the song. Aptly named, I am reminded of the pictures you see of bustling cities where there is an ordered chaos to the scene and everything is moving in a unified rhythm of its own making.
Overall, I really enjoyed this album, but given the unusual nature of the music I don’t believe that Melody is for everyone. Some may find the sound to be droning or too exotic. If that is the case, I still highly recommend checking out the track “Neverending Melody” as it features the best of Sönke’s talents combined with elements that are more mainstream.
The album can be found on Canadian iTunes for purchase, and Ensemble Du Verre’s website.
Samantha Stevens is an aspiring writer who loves combining her love for literature with photography, painting, music, and all creative pursuits.
