Blue Chemise

I have been sporadically buying the releases from I Dischi Del Barone now for the past three years. The Swedish label that rose from the ashes of Release The Bats and operated by Matthias Andersson. Matthias (of course) being behind the projects Arv & Miljö and Heinz Hopf - who for some inexplicable reason I have never heard. Matthias is also behind the printed periodical "Fördämning". A busy chap ... (must be young).
I Dischi Del Barone is a 7" label. (let's forget about the recent Arv & Miljö cassette, it has no catalogue number). There is a uniform design to all the releases, the photograph / artwork in the centre of a hard white card sleeve with information inserts. Get a handful and they look rather impressive, it's really great that IDDB have stuck with the design. 2014 saw the first 7" by Idea Fire Company and over the years there has been seventeen singles by the likes of No Intention, Blod, Kostis Kilymis, Neutral, Krube and Sarah Mary Chadwick who's "This Fits" single was my favourite 7" from last year.
And now I have the latest single from I Dischi Del Barone ... "The Music Lesson" by Australian project Blue Chemise. Blue Chemise, like most IDDB releases, are a completely new name to me but now after listening I want to hear more.
"The Music Lesson" is a droning lament, a funeral procession played out on violins, horns and Tibetan percussion. (that's my guess). It is as beautiful as it is sad. There's a moment when a female voice mutters some words that are masked by the droning strings, and there comes a greater level of sadness. Wonderful stuff. The flip side "Watcher At The Window" is (again) haunting and carrying a great disturbing element in the sound. Lo-Fi recording of a toy piano (or music box) plays a slow and spatial looped tune with sporadic intrusions of the sound of crushing bones or fire ...
The sound of Blue Chemise belongs nowhere, it is unique and now I have to hear more!
All I Dischi Del Barone pressings are limited and understandably sell rather quickly, a visit to the website www.iddb.se is recommended.
Already looking forward to the next series of releases (they usually come in twos or threes) and discover other sounds from projects I have never heard before.