Laurie Torres puts intelligence and thought centre stage on her debut solo outing

Ideas are developed carefully, avoiding both pseudo-minimalist repetition as well as an overload of disparate elements that could easily have obscured certain recurring themes. The result is a cohesive record where well worked-through pattern details always stay well clear of any suggestion of being overwrought or obviously derivative.

From the outset, the balance of instruments is well handled, with some exploratory piano built on top of a consistent organ drone before homing in on a particular idea, and the following track “Lisière” has a sequence of synth glitches contrasting the Glass-like piano figures, with the pattern being more vigorously developed in “Feux Fuyants”. It’s this combination of consistent rhythm offset by more spiky phraseology that characterises the album, demanding (and ensuring) ongoing attention to Torres' compositional skill.

The interplay between basic drum pattern and more complex piano work, in “Intérieurs”, is a good illustration of her awareness of resisting the temptation to weigh down the music with effects. The rare use of airy vocals, in “Clessidra”, is well set against an insistent and contrasting piano. It’s not a complex arrangement, but works precisely because of this.

As the record develops, one becomes more aware of points of connection between tracks, with some similar ideas moving in different directions, as the pace and the relationship between the piano and the other sounds vary. Though far from an academic exercise, the album is a very good example of what can be achieved with limited forces when the guiding spirit is one of creative intelligence and structural awareness.