Both Lines Will Be

On her first entirely instrumental album, Carmen Villain brings the haunting atmospheres and detailed sonics of Infinite Avenue and Sleeper to the fore. While her vocals and lyrics were a key part of what made the complex moods of those albums so spellbinding, Both Lines Will Be Blue's spacious, serene tracks make the most of the exploratory nature of her music as well as her flair for transporting sounds. Along with incorporating hints of dub, ambient, and new age music into her third album, she also brings in some well-chosen collaborators. Foremost among them is Chilean-Norwegian flutist Johanna Scheie Orellana, whose gorgeous performances grace some of Both Lines Will Be Blue's highlights. The way her flute wanders over a rounded synth bass on "Observable Future" makes it one of the album's most remarkable pieces; it's equally satisfying for listeners to follow her playing or let it breeze past them. Later, on the verdant "Type," Orellana's melodies flutter in spiraling trails and mimic birdsong enchantingly. Both Lines Will Be Blue also reunites Villain with Prins Thomas, whose percussion on "I Could Sit Here All Day" adds a little whimsy to the album's cosmic calm. As on Villain's previous releases, Both Lines Will Be Blue's tracks follow elongated arcs, creating a dreamlike flow that she heightens with found sounds and field recordings. On "I Trust You," she blends recordings of birds and wind with synths and drum machines so organically that it almost seems like all she did was hit the record button; "Are You for Real," a drifting collage of saxophone, traffic, beats, and rain, is just as deceptively effortless. Like the best ambient music, Both Lines Will Be Blue is both engaged and soothing. This is particularly true of "Sometimes I Love You Forever," where Villain uses little more than whispers, washes of guitar, and almost subliminal pulses to express the ephemeral and the eternal with a skill that rivals masters like Loscil. Here and throughout Both Lines Will Be Blue, the new dimensions Villain brings to her music are as exciting as music this gentle can be. ~ Heather Phares