Photo provided by artist.
Paris-based singer-songwriter Melissa Weikart returns to the blog with the celestially kaleidoscopic art-pop track “Contact.”
“Contact” is a free-flowing avant-garde composition with lush psychedelic elements, but it also contains some delightfully candid songwriting. I’d draw comparisons to Air for its atmospheric, sophisticated sound, but also Fiona Apple for its quirkier approach to songwriting. The composition resists the obvious musical directions one might expect… and we are glad that it does.
At first the piano takes centre stage supported by sounds bubbling up in unexpected directions. The choice of textures here reminds me of Pink Floyd. At the midway point “Contact” begins to evolve as drums and bass enter the picture. They briefly inject a funky groove as the piano falls away. From here on in the track slips into increasingly hazy, textural territory.
Melissa Weikart’s vocals are intimate and conversational, shifting between English and French with ease. Her delivery floats and sways with the music. Supported by gorgeous layers of backing vocals that cascade across the composition, the whole performance has a sublime dreamlike quality.