Audiopile Review: At it for almost 25 years, Belgian DIY drone-folk artist Annelies Monseré follows up 2023’s breakthrough release Mares with this new full length, one comprised of material that apparently dates as far back as 2016. Not always easily accessible, physically and psychically, Monseré’s steady drip of hyper-limited releases on pretty much every format (lathe cut 8”, anyone??) have slowly garnered her more attention and fans as the years go on. And if you’re just joining us now, well then, you’re in luck, because I Sigh, I Resign is her most approachable work yet, the perfect gateway to her past catalog. The title track welcomes us in, her measured chanting is accompanied by spare droning organ notes and pillow soft drums, perhaps landing somewhere near the dronier side of Vernon Yard-era Low. Elsewhere, she takes on Gothic chamber-folk instrumental on “Januari”, stark piano-led melancholia on “Dark Ages (Piano)”, slow-beating minimal wave creep of “Salt”, and eventually lands on an Appalachian folk classic, covering Jean Ritchie’s “One I Love” in a duet with her 10 year old son. Definitely one for fans of anything from Grouper to Mira Billotte’s largely overlooked White Magic outfit.

This album explores history, its weight, and its exclusions on both a general and personal level. The drawings were inspired by the work of historically marginalized and excluded artists, namely: Judith Leyster, Rachel Ruysch, Maria Van Oosterwijck, Margaretha Haverman, Clara Peeters, Margareta de Heer, and Anna Maria Janssens.