Album Review: Cate Le Bon - Michelangelo Dying

Cate Le Bon

Michelangelo Dying

***and1/2 out of *****

Cate Le Bon had another album she was working on when she realized she couldn't avoid the pain of her relationship break up, so she ditched that record and focused on Michelangelo Dying. It is an album on the Mexican Summer label that is full of heartache, longing and rebirth around Le Bon's cinematic sound structures of warped synths, languid guitars and looping beats. 

While Le Bon produced, played guitar, bass and percussion she also had some help with Valentina Magaletti – percussion, drums, Euan Hinshelwood – saxophone, Paul Jones – piano, Dylan Hadley – drums, as guests H. Hawkline and John Cale both added vocals. Samur Khouja also worked on production as the album was recorded in both Wales, Le Bon's birthplace and current residence, and California her previous residence of 10 years where the relationship ended. 

The trauma of change is a constant theme throughout this album as is Le Bon's patented musical landscape. She creates sonic pastures steeped in synths, guitars and loops then steps into them to arrange and color the surroundings with twists and turns acting very much like David Bowie and Brian Eno. Songs are pushed and pulled slightly in various directions but each is clearly linked to an overall sound. 

  

Layers of waltzing loops with whining guitars, fluttering synths and soft beats support the flowing vocals of "Jerome" while "Love Unrehearsed" is thinner with more of a new age feel as Le Bon sings about female strength. "Mothers of Riches" works in repetitive circular loops with pulsing synths and percussion leading the way while "Is It Worth It (Happy Birthday)?" uses drawn out synth work in dramatic Pink Floyd-ish fashion while she sings about the dissolution of the relationship directly. 

That is address again head on in "Pieces of My Heart" which also discusses the country she left behind while "Body as a River" layers up the sounds building nicely with sax work. Not everything goes so swimmingly as "About Time" uses the overall same style present on the album but allows the repetition to become more of an annoyance with the piano clinking, while the slower, at times plodding, "Ride" features vocals with Cale, but never full locks in.  

The album wraps up on a a strong sonic note as the mix of stuttering and strumming guitars builds with shimmering sounds in pristine fashion as "I Know What's Nice" works well. While Michelangelo Dying is an incredibly personal release from Le Bon, she remains in her lane as an individualistic artist who has a distinct style that she uses with grace and fluidity even in these incredibly trying times.      

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