Sylvaine
Red Vinyl. Gatefold
Doom, Dark, Shoegaze. Red Vinyl 2018

Credits:
Kathrine Shepard: vocals, guitar, bass, synthesizers, piano, drums, arrangements
Stephen Shepard: drums on Tracks B4 and B6
Stéphane ‚Neige‘ Paut: drums on Track A1, 2 and 3, B4
Release: 2018

And once again, thanks go to the television station Arte, which showed Sylvaine live at Arte Concert 2024. I hadn't heard of Sylvaine until then. So I first got the album "Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone" on red vinyl. And what can I say? I'm still enchanted. I'm still charmed. Although here comes a “warning”: This album is unwieldy and, despite all the wonderful sound structures, needs to be heard more often. Anyone who wants to hear a fairy tale about the diversity of our emotions, our souls and "inexplicable" nuances, anyone who wants to feel torn, will find what they're looking for here. Especially since Sylvaine (Kathrine Shepard) can sing like an angel, but also scream brutally. Why do I find the album unwieldy in a positive sense?

What are we dealing with? Limited red vinyl, gatefold, 2018. The style of the music is atmospheric black metal, post-metal, blackgaze. I would have previously put this under gothic, but that doesn't do Sylvaine justice to her range. Sylvaine is a project by Norwegian multi-instrumentalist Kathrine Shepard, who does pretty much everything herself: music, lyrics and instruments. You could say 'a truly female driven project' and I think it's great. She was born in the USA in 1991. She moved to Norway at a young age with her Norwegian mother and American father. Today she lives in France and has released 4 albums so far.

I like unwieldy music. Song 1, “Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone”.. Beautiful, simply beautiful. With minimalist lyrics and strong emotions. At 8:01 minutes, not suitable for the radio. “In conviction, we stand as one, Yet, a fragmented existence, become our norm.” Verse two “Atoms aligned, coming undone, As specs of dust, carried away, At dawn.” That’s the whole text. So far, so good. Song 2, “Mörklagt” is in Norwegian and is the longest song at 9:17. It means ‘blackened’. Even though I don’t understand anything, I feel the emotion and am interwoven with the music. The next sample is their high-pitched shouted lyrics. They can be annoying, but they still make sense, because here someone is saying, ‘This is part of my art’. It’s not mainstream and I like that! Still, I had to get used to it. Songs 3, 4 and 5 are in English, with the 'nasty' screams in the 3rd and 5th. Song 6, "L'Appel Du Vide", has no screams, but is in French and I don't understand a word. And yet, along with "Mörklagt" and "Worlds Collide", it is my highlight.

I like the mixture of clear vocals and sharp screams. Even if it's in small doses, which is the case here. Emotionality in Sylvaine's work consists not only of bright light, but also of pitch-black darkness. This is paired with atmospheric black metal and blackgaze. Quiet passages, good drums and stormy guitar walls create a good atmosphere. From dreamy to dark. And this ethereal voice. Wow!

The photos are all from my LP. The rights to all motifs, logos, texts and fonts that can be seen in the photos are of course owned by the copyright holder.