And All Things Begin To Drift
Following Soft Power, released on Audiobulb in 2021, this new album by Memory Scale once again immerses us in micro-worlds filled with sonic textures and melodies. These finely crafted compositions are imbued with positive melancholy, like soundtracks of life's moments. Synthesizers and organic keyboards, processed recordings, mutant guitars, and occasionally the appearance of live drums affirming his love for krautrock and the explorers of '70s psychedelic rock. Many elements and influences that Memory Scale blends and strives to organize the sonic space in order to add its personal patina.
"This album is a continuation of the previous one, in the sense that the composition methods are similar. It also represents the quest for music that tends to be listened to semi-consciously, neither too overwhelming nor too easy. That famous "drift" mentioned in the title. In the end, these are very personal songs that I hope everyone will be able to appropriate and feel in their own way." - Memory Scale
• Composed & recorded by Arnaud Castagné / Memory Scale at Splank Studio, Bordeaux, France.
• Drums on Freefall by Stefan Ehrenberg. Photography by Dimitri Bellemer, Fukuoka, 2007.
• Typo by Xavier Jacono / Dada.
Tracklisting:
- Campagne
- You Could See What I Heard
- Anyway River
- Datamedia Northerns (Interlude)
- A Suivre
- The Function of Time
- Freefall
- Aether Quit (Interlude)
- Après La Pluie
- Sleep Onset
- Downsizing Tape 2
- Tunnel Rising (Outro)
Memory Scale
Memory Scale, whose real name is Arnaud Castagné, is a French musician living in Bordeaux, specializing in melodic and cinematographic ambient/electronic compositions. Inspired by artists such as ambient pioneer Brian Eno, the 90s ambient scene, IDM, electronica and Krautrock, as well as the sounds of artists such as The Durutti Column, Dieter Moebius, Seefeel, Boards of Canada or even Tortoise (among others), Memory Scale knew how to merge these varied influences to create a recognizable style. Memory Scale tracks transport the listener into haunting soundscapes, evoking cinematic images and deep emotions. Delicate melodies blend seamlessly with atmospheric textures, creating an immersive auditory experience.
Reviews
Musique Machine
Memory Scale (aka Bordeaux-based Arnaud Castagné) is a fascinating project, that on And All Things Begin to Drift has managed to create a deeply reverential record that feels like something we know without the normal baggage of mere repetition.
My best guess is that Castagné shares a kind of temperament or sensibility with a certain community of listeners who cut their teeth on the wildly experimental indie years of the mid-1990s, but that is mere conjecture. More to the point is that the mood and near-surgical attention to detail mean that the organic unity of each track feels effortless, free of posturing or browbeating intention. This is such a relief from the “sharing is caring” ethos of later generations, where bands are more likely to wear their generic labels on their sleeves than anything of substance. That Castagné calls himself Memory Scale leads me to believe that there exists a common understanding of the inherent gaps and caesurae that necessitate – foster, even – the work of memory. As for scale, it is a means of measuring, the distance between oneself and the past, but also the space between notes and sounds, in which something approaching harmony might be allowed.
Highly recommend for fans of Eno, Cluster, early Tortoise, Boards of Canada, Labradford, and other ambient works with a keen eye for song structure and melodic unity. To find out more drop in here
Original article > HERE
Electronic Sound
Original article > HERE
Rockerilla
Original article > HERE
SolenopoleIn the captivating wake of his previous opus “ Soft Power ” released in 2021, Memory Scale , aka Arnaud Castagné , invites us once again into his captivating universe with his new album, “ And All Things Begin To Drift ”, deployed under the flagship of the Audiobulb label .
Where "Soft Power" established the foundations of a richly textured sonic experience, this new album continues Memory Scale's quest to create musical micro-worlds imbued with positive melancholy. The finely crafted compositions seem to be sonic snapshots of everyday life, each telling a unique story. The album is distinguished by the judicious use of synthesizers, organic keyboards, processed recordings, mutant guitars, and sometimes live percussion. These elements reveal the musician's love of krautrock and psychedelic rock of the 70s, while being integrated in a way to add the distinctive touch of Memory Scale to the whole.
In a personal statement, Arnaud Castagné shares that the album is a continuation of the previous one in terms of composition methods. He describes music as a semi-conscious exploration, a musical "drift" that seeks a balance between immersive intensity and ease of listening. These compositions, conceived as soundscapes, become spaces that each listener can appropriate and feel in their own way.
Memory Scale draws inspiration from a range of influences from ambient pioneer Brian Eno to the 90s ambient scene, IDM, electronica and krautrock. The imprints of his inspirations are expertly woven into his music, creating a recognizable style that captures the very essence of melodic and cinematic ambient.
“And All Things Begin To Drift” takes the listener on a captivating sonic journey. Delicate melodies blend harmoniously with atmospheric textures, creating an immersive experience where the boundaries between the conscious and unconscious blur. This album is an ode to drifting, to wandering through micro-worlds of sound, and to discovering beauty in the details of each note. Memory Scale once again offers us a captivating work that transcends the limits of contemporary ambient music.
Original article > HERE
African PaperAudiobulb bringen in den nächsten Tagen ein neues digitales Album von Memory Scale heraus – ein Name, hinter dem der französische Soundartist und Ambientkünstler Arnaud Castagné steckt. “And All Things Begin To Drift” enthält zwölf intrikat gestaltete Tracks auf der Basis von Synthies, Keyboard, verfremdeten Sounds (zu denen auch der Klang einer gelegentlich eingesetzten Gitarre zählt) und Drums, die den melodischen Ambientscapes an manchen Stellen einen pschedelischen, an Krautrock erinnernden Zug geben. Die von einer leisen Melancholie ebenso wie von launiger Verspieltheit durchzogene.
Musik verträgt sich gut mit dem stark persönlich gefärbten Charakter, den die Stücke für den Musiker haben. All dies und mehr verbindet das Album laut Castagné auch mit dem vor rund zwei Jahren ebenfalls bei Audiobulb erschienenen Debüt album “Soft Power”: “This album is a continuation of the previous one, in the sense that the composition methods are similar. It also represents the quest for music that tends to be listened to semi-consciously, neither too overwhelming nor too easy. That famous “drift” mentioned in the title. In the end, these are very personal songs that I hope everyone will be able to appropriate and feel in their own way”.
Original article > HERE