10th December 2024
Christopher Nosnibor
Less than a fortnight after Yorkshire-based collective Papillon de Nuit unveiled their first track, ‘Scarlet’, they present to the world the second fruits of their recent recording sessions, mastered by none other than Tom Woodhead, formerly of ¡Forward Russia! at Hippocratic Mastering. While ‘Amber’ continues the colour-themed song titles, they promised something different, and, indeed, that’s precisely what they’ve given us.
‘Scarlet’ was a somewhat folk-infused tune with a rolling rhythm: in contrast, ‘Amber’ sits more in neoclassical territory, in terms of composition and arrangement, with a lone piano providing the primary instrumentation; around the sung segments are spoken-word poetical passages. Again, Stephen Kennedy leads, but there is a counterpoint in words composed and spoken by Edinburgh-based polyartist Monica Wolfe, and the interaction between the voices and modes of delivery is engaging. This is not rock, or pop, or folk, but unashamedly music as art, and as compelling as it is beautiful.
AA
Aural Aggravation 