Half Sleep – The Minute Hours l Les Heures Secondes

“The Minute Hours l Les Heures Secondes” is the latest release by Half Sleep, an outstanding solo music outlet of Belgian musician and singer-songwriter Valérie Leclercq. Heavily promoted by “Midnight Seam,” “Yes No Maybe Yes Again No No,” and “The Liberator,” three exceptional compositions released earlier this year that vividly showcase what you might expect of the entire material, Half Sleep paints a vivid sonic imagery based upon her previous experience, knowledge, skills, and talent. She poured heart and soul into this fine piece of sonic artistry, making “The Minute Hours l Les Heures Secondes” one of the finest singer-songwriter full-lengths this year. Besides solely relying on a singer-songwriter approach and techniques, she also incorporated different styles into her music. You’ll stumble upon the entire pallet of music genres, working and articulating flawlessly with her tremendous ideas. Perhaps alt-pop comes to mind first but you’ll notice how some other subgenres of pop music found their way into this sonic equation. Dream pop, bedroom pop, and indie pop are just some of them, but there are also folk, lo-fi, and neoclassical music lurking here and there. This wide array of different but complementary music genres and boundless experimentations with fundamental elements and essences taken from them demonstrate Valérie Leclercq’s creative genius and dedication to the craft from scratch to finish.

Valérie Leclercq’s vision goes beyond comprehension throughout the entire album. Whether exploring simplistic instrumentation where her voice reigns supreme the most or exploring unknown, complex, avant-garde territories where an entire amalgam of layers intermingle harmoniously, her music is delightful and challenging at the same. It tackles all the senses with such precision and finesse, demanding a complete focus not only on those vividly hearable, dominant instrumentations but those tiny details, nuances, and accentuations as well. Even when you think that Half Sleep resonates with calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal soundscapes, multiple instrumentations are lurking beneath the surface and decorating the initial theme. Her soulful, passionate, sincere, confident, emotional, and powerful voice commands attention, guides the listening apparatus, and elevates everything to new heights. Whether narrating or singing, her impressive vocal range seamlessly balances low, mid, and high notes from scratch to finish, emphasizing everything she intended to achieve with these compositions. Besides decorating all the segments and orchestrations in these songs, she also contributes emotional depth, uplifts tension, and adds more complexity to already intricate structures. Of course, there are additional layers, back vocals, and singalongs, amplifying the eerie atmosphere or giving more harmony to those melodic parts. Her vocal performance is something special, rarely heard or seen on the music scene nowadays.

It’s nearly mindblowing how all instrumentations articulate throughout the album. Their role here almost resembles theatre or art movie soundtracks, like they’re part of a larger narrative or play, emphasizing particular moments or entire compositions. Each track arrives as a separate piece yet it articulates flawlessly alongside other compositions, creating a cohesive whole that reveals as this full-length album flows. And you’ll be surprised by the comprehensive collection of instruments included along the way. From piano, classical guitar, vocals, keyboard, “hammered” autoharp, flute, shruti box, bass, noise, water glasses, and percussion performed by Valérie Leclercq to keyboards, autoharp, cello, trumpet, baritone sax, bass clarinet, percussion samples, and field recordings recorded in Belgium, France, Iceland, and Morocco by guest musicians, every element makes this epic sonic journey even more intricate and appealing to the ears. These layers, elements, accentuations, nuances, and other details serve as main themes, enhancements, accentuations, decorations, and other details that unquestionably construct an expansive sonic universe called “The Minute Hours l Les Heures Secondes.” The way they articulate separately without overwhelming each other goes beyond comprehension so many times throughout the entire album. Still, together they intermingle harmoniously while simultaneously leaving more than enough space, creating that almost intimate connection between the listener and the artist. It’s like you’ve been part of the entire recording process, watching and listening as Valérie Leclercq, guest singers, and guest musicians write, compose, arrange, record, and produce this material or maybe attending a live show in a dim-light room with only spotlight on Half Asleep and guest musicians.

“The Minute Hours l Les Heures Secondes” is one of those albums where brilliant ideas and marvelous musicianship collide in a fresh, unique, innovative, versatile, and distinctive way. It’s an avant-garde masterpiece with many finest elements borrowed from all sorts of pop music yet it also shines with a one-of-a-kind atmosphere, hardly defined by simplistic terms and genres. This a transcendental, ethereal, otherwordly, cathartic sonic journey that you should immediately experience. Head to Half Asleep’s Bandcamp page for more information about ordering this gem on CD or vinyl. Don’t miss it!