Infused with a heady feeling of isolation, the first Rosalyn album confirms the musical direction taken by Frédéric Aellen at the beginning of the 2000’s, when computer science finally allowed the emergence of a wide array of one-man bands. However, his recent forays into the rabid indie rock world couldn’t foreshadow that he later would go back to the acoustic self-sufficiency so characteristic of his early works. Indeed, the singer/guitar player defines his new project more like a return to his roots than a radical 180-degree turn. Considered as a logic continuation and/or a natural evolution of the interlude named The View Electrical aka the collective of whom he remains the original founder, the EP released in November 2018 (« Single Mother ») was the direct follow-up to his early loves. Thus, it is not surprising that « All Your Silences » features his most haunting guitar loops, highlighted by a vaporous keyboard, a skeletal beatbox and even ethereal and melancholic strings like the smiles of the long-since departed who finally accepted to be immortalized by an old photobooth.

Surrounded by his faithful pals (no need to introduce Raul Bortolotti and the exquisite ladies of the trio Betty’s Kitchen), Frédéric Aellen also hired two brand new associates: a Lausanne Music School graduate, the multi-instrumentalist Adriel Rüfenacht met the challenge by delicately arranging strings and piano on some tracks, consequently adding a few sepia tones to the already fragile body of Rosalyn. The London-based producer Kenny Jones, a regular in the darkness, is in charge of mixing. « Working with him was on my dreamlist for quite a while, admits the 39-year-old musician, because he actually supervised a significant amount of records that left a durable mark on me, such as Robin Proper-Sheppard’s creations. » Let’s mention three of his most memorable albums, « Fixed Water » and « The Infinite Circle » by Sophia, and the unforgettable masterpiece « One Last Laugh in a Place of Dying » by The God Machine. No doubt that the British sound engineer lived up to his reputation: a sophisticated production for the ten songs of « All Your Silences ».

Paradoxically, it’s the electricity of « The Nineties » which, with its sticky spleen, opens the album. Long-term exorcism, tribute to the pre-Internet generation ? Does this song illustrate a personal never-ending search for an undying musical hero or should it be considered as a guideline for every teenager tortured by self-deprecation and real-life perspectives, who knows ? A songwriter like Mark Kozelek, considerably used to spiteful confessions, would probably not argue about the sometimes raw and disturbing contents of a song like « These Hands I Care For » because of the crystal clear link with his initial slowcore impulse. Nevertheless, the first Rosalyn album specifically favours the melodies (« It Will Pass », « All Your Silences »), exposing a real and natural pop sensibility, already shining through some hits by The View Electrical. Catchy like those previously mentioned, « Love Never Calls Me By My Name » even lurks into the glacial Arab Strap post-folk, far from the mystical poetry of Leonard Cohen, despite an almost indecent wink at one of the greatest ballads of the late master. But ultimately, among all these songs of love and hate, « A Devoted Man » is the one which minutiously describes, with the most peculiar details, the abyssal and expanding gap between the two partners who stay unable to express their own expectations ; all it takes to erode away the cement of every relationship, as soon as one of us locks himself/herself into a deadly silence. « Obviously, music is definitely the best option to push away this lack of communication that was unfortunately inflicted on me more than once, even if I’m the one who’s always been used to express emotions, recognizes Frédéric Aellen. As a matter of fact, I hate these silences so much, because they always throw us into a massive solitude, right when we’re supposed to rejoice in the presence of our loved one. »

It is little wonder « Rise » was chosen to end this glowing record: almost like a prophecy, this song is a middle finger raised to the lost years as a powerful self-affirmation. Is it the actual sound of Rosalyn refusing to sleep with the enemy ? Time will tell where the true healing is… But for now, let’s listen to the whispers of a big-hearted rocker who’s been fiercely covering every single page of his sonic diary with this burning promise (« I won’t bleed til I’m dry, no, not this time »), until the long-awaited day of resilience.

"Love Never Calls Me By My Name" video here: youtu.be/4cYyFSl6Gbk