 photo: Sylvie Biscioni |
"Cello music for the emotionally weary traveler. Solo overdubbed
pieces by Julia Kent, cellist with Antony & The Johnsons,
ex-Rasputina and other collaborations. Downbeat music inspired by
airports and that strange combination of anticipation and endless
waiting air travelers are subjected to; the disorienting feeling of
being in transition yet going nowhere. Delay. What is
there but time to reflect and contemplate and question? Kent plays
all of the parts herself on these lovely, melancholy, classically
influenced compositions, displaying her talents as composer,
arranger, and player. Short passages of found sound from airports
around the world inhabit the spaces between some of the music tracks.
Listen to this music and be alone with your thoughts."
"Don't paint Julia Kent with the wide critical brush you would for
Antony and the Johnsons, of which she happens to frequent. Antony's
musical vision is one that-at least amidst the fragility of
Delay--Kent rarely touches. It also refuses to fit into
Kent's former Rasputina mold of eerie and cold chamber rock.
"Kent plays with her traveling theme well, including several interludes hidden between tracks-and unlike the frantic bustle between catching flights in an overcrowded terminal or weaving through four lanes of bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic, the pacing of each song and interlude is peaceful, calming, and reassuring. Delay does just what the title implies: delays the inevitable. While most would choose to crash head-on into the oncoming din of life, Kent implores us to seek a respite from the loud outer world and seek shelter within the serene. Delay's only artistic statement is found in Kent's protest of hurry."
"Kent plays with her traveling theme well, including several interludes hidden between tracks-and unlike the frantic bustle between catching flights in an overcrowded terminal or weaving through four lanes of bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic, the pacing of each song and interlude is peaceful, calming, and reassuring. Delay does just what the title implies: delays the inevitable. While most would choose to crash head-on into the oncoming din of life, Kent implores us to seek a respite from the loud outer world and seek shelter within the serene. Delay's only artistic statement is found in Kent's protest of hurry."
"Julia Kent has lent her considerable talents as a cellist to the
likes of Antony & The Johnsons, Rufus Wainwright, Devendra
Banhart, Angels Of Light, Larsen and Mi & Lau to name but a few.
Delay is Kent's beautiful debut of multitracked cello
music. It's baffling to think that there's only one person working on
this record, it sounds every bit as if a full ensemble were at work.
Kent's solo work is characterised by a clear knowledge of modern
classical music and a very lyrical, often cinematic set of
composition principles. The opening chords of 'Gardermoen' confirm
that Kent has a particular knack for a kind of aching romanticism,
full of rich melodicism and detailed arrangements. Interspersing the
cello pieces are an assortment of interloping vignettes made up of
found sounds. These tend to take the form of recordings from busy
public spaces, and give some valuable contrast to Kent's incredibly
emotive, up-close and personal cello performances. It's great to hear
someone who's been previously relegated to supporting roles making
such a complex and satisfying body of recordings for her debut solo
album."
"Probably best known for her cello playing with Anthony and the
Johnsons and Angels of Light...Canadian-born Julia Kent has finally
released her first solo album. Delay was recorded
between endless touring and traveling and it shows. Inspired by long
waits at airports, Kent creates her private world in the midst of the
usual chaos and disorientation. Consisting purely of multi-tracked
cello and found sounds, the tracks on this album are like an oasis in
that micro-cosmos called the airport, in a sense following Eno's
concept of Music for Airports. Each track on this album is
interspersed with short interludes of environmental sounds recorded
at a specific airport (such as Idlewild, Malpensa and Schiphol),
which gives the track its name. This concept works wonderfully well.
Kent manages to give each airport its own atmosphere, ranging from
hectic and chaotic to an almost pastoral calm. As a total, the mood
of this album reminds me much of Daniel Figgis' brilliant 1994 CD
Skipper. Delay is a great album in an already great
music tradition of albums inspired by airports. I'll be traveling to
Finland soon and I'm looking forward to play Delay as a
peaceful musical haven in a chaotic world. Delay? You'd
almost wish for one."
"Cellos excitedly dance and play as subtle sounds find their way,
like clouds taking shape in the sky, a vivacious harmony is perceived
as Julia shares her Delay. She's contributed music to
Leona Naess, Devendra Banhart, Rufus Wainwright, among many others,
and is currently performing with Antony and the Johnsons. If her name
seems familiar elsewhere, you may remember her as an original member
of Rasputina. All tracks on Delay were composed and
performed by Julia, at home, in between touring and traveling for
about a year. An abundant warmth and persistence belies this music,
making most songs feel like a soundtrack in themselves."
 photo:
Sylvie Biscioni |
"Speaking of Antony & The Johnsons, Antony's cellist Julia Kent,
(who is as well a former member of Rasputina), released
Delay, her solo debut. It's an all-instrumental affair,
mixing beautiful melodies with found sound...the songs will lull your
mind into a beautiful place, and it's easy to understand why Antony
has called upon her to add her creative voice to the Johnsons. I have
thoroughly enjoyed Delay; I've let it play quietly in
the room, especially at night, and most definitely during my
post-surgery recovery days, and it helps me rest my soul."
"Man muss kein Liebhaber von Streichinstrumenten sein, um diese
Platte zu mögen. Auch wenn ein gewisses Interesse an den
Klängen von Violoncelli nötig ist, um sich auf die rund
45-minütige Reise von Julia Kents Delay zu
begeben."
[mehr >>]
"Le label suisse Shayo nous propose de faire connaissance avec une
violoncelliste originaire de Vancouver au canada, installée
à New-York. Musicienne pour des gens tels que Antony & The
Johnsons, Devandra Banhart ou Rufus Wainwright, elle nous propose
aujourd'hui un album de musiques inspirées par les
aéroports et tous ces lieux de transit oú des milliers
de gens se croisent sans se voir. Cinématographique, la
musique de cette demoiselle séduit d'emblée à la
fois par sa profondeur et sa légèreté. Car
même si le violoncelle reste l'instrument principal constituant
les morceaux de l'album, il ne devient jamais pesant au fil des
titres. Sans doute parce que Julia Kent est parvenu à
créer une atmosphère, une tonalité
différente d'un titre à l'autre. Malgré tout,
l'ensemble fait bloc du début à la fin et reste
très cohérent. Au final, un album très beau,
très riche, qui évoque aussi bien le cinéma de
Chabrol, les musique de Georges Delerue que celles plus
contemporaines de Johann Johannsson ou Max Richter. (4.0)"
"...Julia Kent s'est baladée dans les aéroports durant
les tournées et en a observé tous les caractères
de la vie. La mélancolie d'un départ, l'attente longue
et envahissante des retards, la joie des retrouvailles, les pleurs
d'une séparation, la pluie sur les vitres, le soleil sur le
tarmac... Bref, tous ces petits moments traduits seuls par l'artiste
avec son violoncelle et ses loops enregistrées avec les sons
de son instrument. Les notes virevoltent et construisent, pas
à pas, boucles après boucles, une partition de voyage,
souvent mélancolique, unanimement lumineuse qui nous fait
faire un petit tour du monde au rythme des bagages et des
émotions humaines."
"Des poèmes sonores, des tableaux musicaux. A partir d'un seul
instrument, le violoncelle, des cordes comme s'il en pleuvait, une
pluie chaude et nourricière, fleurie, parfumée, une
ondée de grâce. Simplicité et ampleur,
nudité et majesté, un oxymore heureux, un
chef-d'oeuvre."
[davantage >>]
"Difficile de parler de découverte à l'attention de Julia Kent, violoncelliste au sein d'Antony & the Johnsons et collaboratrice de Devendra Banhart ou Rufus Wainwright. Pourtant, Delay, son album en solitaire, n'est pas distribué chez nous mais tout prêt, chez Shayo Records en Suisse."
[davantage >>]
"Julia Kent is de celliste van Antony & The Johnsons en in het verleden ook van Rasputina, The Angels Of Light, Larsen, Rufus Wainwright, Mi And L'Au, Devendra Banhart en ga zo maar door. Solo weet ze zich ook prima te redden getuige haar prachtige debuut. Deze bevat droefgeestige cellopartijen, die het midden houden tussen pop en klassiek. Hiermee raakt ze naast haar eigen snaren ook de gevoelige van de luisteraar. Op filmische wijze openbaren zich schitterende emotionele taferelen. Nu ben ik toch al een grote celloliefhebber, maar Julia Kent weet de hemelse kant van het instrument wel erg goed te benadrukken."