Coumarin is a sweet, fragrant compound that many plants release when their leaves or flowers begin to wilt. The opening track of Tristan De Liege and NoKillShelter’s EP is, like its namesake, delicate, tender, and wistful. The melody is subdued, but there is an underlying rhythmic momentum. At “Coumarin’s” climax the beat drops, albeit as gingerly as a flower petal drifts to the ground.
Layered flutes hum over chimes ringing in perfect fifths to open “September, Pt. I,” an ambient interlude that evokes images of breezy autumn afternoons– one can practically smell the coumarin in the air. “September’s” second half builds on the same themes, adding texture as it picks up the pace, and leading listeners into the invigorating “Forma.” “Forma” has a danceable fun-factor, owing to snappy percussion interwoven with rhythmically spliced female vocals.
Of all the EP’s tracks, “Arago” has the fullest sound and the most emotional depth. It plays heavily with texture, breaking down and rebuilding a simple yet compelling three-note theme. The artists composed “Arago” out of samples taken from a 1930s Ukrainian jazz piece. This fact doesn’t become less mind-boggling the more one listens to the track– though Coumarin/Forma blends different styles within the realms of ambient and electronic, one doesn’t expect it to venture into Soviet orchestral swing genres. That said, delicate acoustic tones and remnants of Eastern modality are faintly present in “Arago.” The result is an overarching melancholy combined with a sensation of constant renewal.
The relentless march of time seems to be at this EP’s core. Everything eventually ends, Coumarin/Forma reminds us, but there is solace in the idea that the future originates from past lives, events, and art, repurposed and reimagined. A flower dies and becomes a perfume, or the image of its pressed petals becomes the design for a record cover. A jazz piece transforms into an electronic track a century after its original composition.
“Horologue” brings the EP to a close with its cyclical melody and unwavering steady beat. If previous tracks speak to renewal and change, this one embodies the flip side of time – its ceaselessness, perpetuity. As much as one must simply accept the fact that all beautiful things are fleeting, we must admit that we found ourselves wishing this record were a full-length album. (Maya Merberg)
a closer listen 