Jean RN - A Hundred Pebbles, in England

 

Released: June 10

This latest EP from UK-based artist  Jean RN is a brief but sonically quite rich experience. Loosely belonging in the category of ambient music but coming across as much more than that, it comes in at just under 10 minutes in total but covers a wide swath of audio territory in this short time. The naming convention of the tracks is simply two words apiece of the sentence “Did you feel like a bird?” It’s pretty clever honestly as each track sounds like a gradual increase in brightness a levity as the album progresses, eventually culminating in the light as a feather final track.  

It opens up in a rather abstract manner, with short looping bits of pad sounds being quickly repeated to give a glitchy and jumpy feeling. Eventually this calms down a bit and we are given an ascendant and lush arrangement that has just a touch of colorful distortion, giving a lo-fi aesthetic. The second track stands out for its rather unique use of vocal sampling and gentle arpeggios. The vocals comes across as just barely a whisper and have a unique vintage vibe to them that is a bit hard to place but strangely familiar. The final track starts out with burst of energy that contrasts wonderfully with the ending of the previous track. It’s a neat little decision though as that energy fades into a gentle laxity that feels a bit like the title “a bird?” Highly recommended album and one you can experience on a short break.