“Superpowered” composer Jacqueline Cordes debuts on our blog with dark and atmospheric album, Singularity.

By Graeme Smith

A young composer, Jacqueline is graced with the condition of synaesthesia which means the senses blur and cross their usual boundaries (so one might “hear” a colour, for instance). She describes it as a “mutant superpower” but also says it was something she was told to keep hidden as a child. As a composer, it now drives her creative direction, giving us some beautifully unique compositions.

Yet, it’s not all about her superpower, she has also learned from some important names in the business including Danny Elfman, Radiohead, Trent Reznor, Depeche Mode, and Łukasz Michalski.

There’s a darkness to her new album Singularity which greets the listener right from the off. Opener Otherworld builds atmosphere gradually, tugging on our hand as we enter a place that is equal parts frightening and exhilarating.

A Child’s Song takes things in a whimsical direction, but a sinister undercurrent runs through its percussive piano arrangement, particularly when ghostly vocalisations float in. A waltzing tempo brings to mind a haunted carnival.

Jacqueline builds scenes and vignettes like this across the album’s ten tracks. Encounter From Beyond is minimal and macabre while De tous biens plaine is folksy and lingering. Amber Sky lightens things with a meditative piano moment. Reality 101 Failure Intro is short and enveloping. Tunnel (Running Theme) opens rumbling before becoming vibrantly severe. The Pursuer and its Postlude provide some dynamic narrative before Aurora closes the album in ambient style.

If you’re into neoclassical composition with a twist, you’re going to enjoy what Jacqueline is creating. As an album, Singularity transports you to worlds that you hadn’t planned to go to but won’t want to leave.

Singularity is out now and you can give it a listen below.