Top Bar
Musique Machine Logo Home ButtonReviews ButtonArticles ButtonBand Specials ButtonAbout Us Button
SearchGo Down
Search for  
With search mode in section(s)
And sort the results by
show articles written by  
 Review archive:  # a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Go to the Davide Balula website  Davide Balula - Pellicule [Active Suspension - 2003]

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome in the ever-growing electronic scene a new-born genre : Folktronic. Yeah! Or at least that’s what we’re told Davide Balula plays, a mix of folk ballads and electronic music.

Balula is French and Pellicule is his first album after a few 7 inches and a remarkable appearance on the recent Active Suspension vs Clapping Music compilation.

Pellicule is an odd CD. On most of the tracks, Balula plays on his guitar little lo-fi lullabies with at times a strong folk feeling. His voice fits really well the lo-fi mold: he is not a good singer at all but he manages to convey very touching emotions. And this although, more often than not, the lyrics are impossible to understand. The melodies are great, proving that it is possible to play great songs without having to be a highly skilled guitarist.

Some of the songs only feature guitar and voice, other tracks are pure sonic experiments, but it is when Balula mixes both lo-fi/folk with electronics that the greatness of the music shines through. Here and there, in the background, one can hear a few glitchy sounds, some clicks and cuts. Usually those sounds only accompany the music, adding more depth to the sound but sometimes they become real parasites (albeit interesting ones) and prevent the song to unfold, forcing it to remain static, giving to the listener a timelessness feeling.

Balula also enjoys strewing his music with various everyday life sounds: doorbell, footsteps, motorbike, animals, microwave... While the music is not pastoral per se, Pellicule sounds like an album on life in the countryside. You really can picture Balula recording his songs in a barn and then getting back to his room and toying with them on his computer.

Playful, original, extremely enjoyable, at times a little weird. Davide Balula graces us with a little sonic gem and position himself as one to watch in the future. For true pigeon lovers, but not only...

Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5

François Monti
Latest Reviews

Davide Balula - Pellicule
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome in the ever-growing electronic scene a new-born genre : Folktronic. Yeah! Or at least that’s what we’re told Davide ...
100725   John Scott - Symptoms OST
100725   Torsofuck - Feasting On Carve...
100725   Dachra - Dachra(VOD)
100725   Transmission - Transmission( ...
100725   Up! - Up!( Blu Ray)
100725   Jack The Ripper - Jack The Ri...
090725   A Day At The Beach - A Day A...
090725   Iggor Cavalera / Shane Embury...
080725   Sebastian Tomb - Even in shi...
080725   Koobaatoo Asparagus - Trinity...
Latest Articles

Matthew Holmes - Of razor-sharp t...
It’s fair to say the Sharksploitation genre is often tried, tested, and to be honest, tired. Fear Below is a 2025 Australian film that tries to do some...
180625   Matthew Holmes - Of razor-sha...
280525   The Residents - Visits From T...
090525   Ennaytch - Of walls, abused ...
150425   Dead, Dead Swans interview - ...
110325   Sebastian Tomb - Walls of unb...
040225   Alien Sex Fiend - Possessed B...
231224   Best Of 2024 - Music, Sound &...
191224   Splintered - Somewhere Betwee...
031224   Shane Ryan-Reid - Coerced and...
221024   Whore’s Breath - life’s h...
Go Up
(c) Musique Machine 2001 -2025. Twenty four years of true independence!! Mail Us at questions=at=musiquemachine=dot=comBottom