Colleen is the project of French multi-instrumentalist and composer Cécile Schott, whose loop-based atmospherics are too gentle to be computer-generated and too soft and surreal to be of this world. On the title track from her fifth LP Captain of None, Schott sings over a hypnotic rhythm played on viola da gamba, a Renaissance-era relative of the cello. It’s a slow but stirring piece, with a thick echo and reverb inspired by dub forefathers Lee “Scratch” Perry and King Tubby. The result is gorgeous, like a quietly brewing storm of layered pizzicatos, bouncing off the walls and grazing your ears as they glide past you. Hear the track below.

Captain of None tracklist:
01 “Holding Horses”
02 “I’m Kin”
03 “This Hammer Breaks”
04 “Salina Stars”
05 “Lighthouse”
06 “Soul Alphabet”
07 “Eclipse”
08 “Captain Of None”

Colleen’s press photo:

Captain of None is out this April on Thrill Jockey.

[Photo by Iker Spozio.]