Memory Scale — And All Things Begin to Drift

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