Forbidden Planet is already the fifth LP born from the fruitful collaboration between singer/songwriter Emileigh Rohn and composer/producer Jean-Marc Lederman. Since August 2021 when they released Watch Out!, they have been periodically delighting us with extensive albums and EPs arriving at this Forbidden Planet which, dare I say, is their best work to date. Rohn – Lederman‘s new LP contains thirteen new compositions and has been released by the label Les Disques de la Pantoufle, specialized in the work of the prolific Belgian composer. Since we’ve talked about both musicians many times, we’ll skip that part and get straight to the point. The album is available on vinyl and digital download.
From experience, one already knows what can be found on a Rohn – Lederman album: good compositions (they never fail in that), Emileigh‘s beautiful and expressive voice and Jean-Marc‘s ingenious arrangements. Still, the album begins and one can’t help but be surprised already with the first track, “Urban Jungle”. Lederman has used analog synthesizers on this album while aiming for a harder and darker sound which has led to a more primal inspiration from Emileigh. And that can be noticed already in this first track that presents a harder and more minimalistic sound than on previous albums and an aggressive, and at the same time sensual, vocal performance. “Drop Drop Down”, on the other hand, is more experimental, yet another sample of Lederman‘s ability to get the most out of the studio. The track has a rough, industrial sound but with some emotive and epic keyboards during the chorus. Easily, one of the best composition I’ve heard this year. “Pass The Test” sounds like a sci-fi movie soundtrack and has, again, a rather original production with a final part that sounds like a children’s music box. “They Crawl Back” has an original rythm while Emileigh sings in an impertubable way some frightening lyrics. “Take Me Out” has a futuristic yet emotive sound, with Emileigh’s warm singing as a highlight. It is another of the album’s best moments.
“Animal Makes Its Escape” has an original and minimal sound with some beautiful string arragements probably done with synths. “Steal The Light” features a nice melody by Emileigh and already appeared in an EP released at the beginning of the year. It’s the catchiest song of the album and should be a hit in a better world. “Finding Home” features another original production while ‘I Am No One’ is romantic music for androids. “In Danger” is another great track, with a first part of rough and minimalist electronica and another part more industrial yet warm. “Hear Me from Space” surprises us with another production to marvel at, giving the feeling of being lost in space. “Made It All Up” continues with the robotic and industrial tone, this time with an epic touch. We would say that the production is cool, but we don’t want to repeat ourselves. The album ends with “Chaos” with a spoken world from Emileigh and some beautiful backing vocals that give the track a ghostly feel.
The bad thing about Rohn – Lederman albums is that they make you realize how unimaginative and boring today’s music is.
