band web site (English) download the album
Before we move any further, I should clarify that Jean Parlette is a band, not a solo act, and none of its members actually bear that name. Jean Parlette doesn't even know its own gender, and I'm thinking that's not just a Holland thing.
Gender aside, "neutral" would actually be a fitting way to describe Jean Parlette's Much Smaller EP, which patters at the unobtrusive pace of self-described "folktronica." The odd mix of warpy samples, fingerpicked acoustic, and gaping cello moans doesn't, in those terms, sound like anything subtle. But even as lyrics testify that we are "wise enough to lose control" with "chaos all around me," the band keeps everything to more or less of a rolling hum. Then, throw in some luminescent Rhodes chords and vocals that dress altruism on both the Aloof European and Aloof Indie Band stereotypes. Strangely, it's almost as if the more sounds you cram into this toy box, the lighter it feels. Jean Parlette does not want to overwhelm you. Jean Parlette does not want to hurt you. Jean Parlette comes in peace.
This kind of intimacy and low-key bearing are more than welcome in an era of music demanding more, louder. Shrugging its shoulders to the foolish allure of "next big thing," the band just keeps with the EP's name and turns a big load of big sounds into something much smaller.