Rougge — Fragments

Fragments is an 11 track album by the mysteriously named Rougge, a French musician and composer. The instrumentation is made up of acoustic piano and vocals, which Rougge refers to as chants. The piano pieces sound as if they were composed, and the vocals were, at least partly, improvised over top. It would be difficult for any, but the most dynamic artists, to pull off an entire album of music with such a limited scope. And though Fragments is pleasant enough listening, it isn't transcendent, as it was most likely intended to be.

Rougge is a talented pianist and singer, so technical skill as a musician is not an issue here. He sings the the first half of the album in a soprano register, which oddly doesn't sound falsetto. The second half of the disc reveals his Thom Yorke fixation. The vocals emulate Yorke's bucolic flourishes to such an extent that they almost come across as slavish imitation at times. This is not to say that Rougge does not have vocal talent - he does. It's just that it seems like too much of his time is expended on sounding like one of his heroes, rather than developing his own voice.

The real issue with Fragments, however, is that it seems unsure of what it's supposed to be. The idea of putting semi-improvised chants over piano music sounds like an Avant Garde concept, but Rougge's piano structures are surprisingly straightforward. The piano is pleasant, and for the most part, flowing, though some arpeggio is present. This base structure doesn't provide much friction, and though the lack of any edginess makes this album easygoing, it provides no real challenges for the listener. The lack of dynamic structure, coupled with the simple piano/vocals methodology makes the album a bit one-dimensional. Rougge is clearly not without talent, but to me this album sounds like a work in progress.