Chimet

Album review

In October 2017, two storms ravaged the British Isles. Ophelia capped a wild hurricane season by becoming the easternmost hurricane in recorded history. Its path intensified wildfires in Portugal and Spain, and created "black rain" in Estonia before making destructive landfall in Ireland. Six days later, Great Britain saw Storm Brian form with near-equal intensity, flooding the islands for the second time in a week. The skies over the UK filled with dust from the Sahara, turning orange as 80-100 mph winds swirled.

MINING, a combination of sound design and meteorological data, attempts to bottle these storms and unleash them over 67 minutes of ambient songs. Chimet is meant to be listened to in one sitting (though split into several songs). By using data and synth, the record pinpoints the dread of a rising tide rather than the emotional dictation a lyrical or short-form recording might produce. Chimet gets its name from the Chichester West Pole Beacon, a mark of some of the UK's most dangerous currents.

According to MINING, "The album was created using 2,016 sampled data streams, collected every five minutes between 0030 on October 16, 2017, and 0025 on the 23rd, translating seven days of information into 67 minutes and 12 seconds of detailed and evolving music." So, in a way, mother nature dictates the album.

Matthew Bourne handles the instrumentation. Though he usually prefers the peaceful piano route—often caught between swells of jazz and classical—here, Bourne teams with sound designer and programmer PJ Davy and Craig Kirkpatrick-Whitby's artistic direction and data analytics. Using cello, piano and a LAMM Synth, Bourne sets a direct mood early: Hurricane Ophelia's approach and Chimet's beacons are beautifully arranged on 14-minute opener "Ophelia." The album calms between storms to indicate a short tranquility ("Petrichor") before building to Storm Brian's arrival and destruction ("Arise" and "Force 10 Pts. 1 & 2").

By the time the storm settles, we're left with "Debris"—a song that returns the listener to serenity via deeply-held worry. Synth, like choppy waves, ripples over the calming yet no less tense barrage of heaviness. As the storm weakens to the point of full dissipation, these ripples settle into smooth, beautiful ambience. The beacon readies for the next action, relaying the news to those who keep watch of the seas. Chimet's job is done and now human nature is left to survey the damages. © Jeff Laughlin/Qobuz