5/28/2023 0 Comments Into the waves alcest![]() It is refrained and full of beauty and hope. It has the portent and ethereality of Black Metal but with the vulgarity and roughness removed. It soars in magnificent crescendos of rapturous riff, but still manages to feel low-key and unassuming. That feeling of understated jubilation continues with 'Autre Temps’. It is like a lo-fi whirlwind, powerful but yet delicate and restrained. They weave a mesmeric web of subtle chords that build and then fade and then build again. This is where Alcest excel and are frankly peerless. However Alcest are about far more than just brittle belligerence and 'Oiseaux de Proie' signals a move into introspective soundscapes. New record “Spiritual Instincts” has seen Alcest re-engage with the Black Metal that they abandoned back in 2014 and the first two tracks tonight fill tight, taut and corrosive. Opener 'Les Jardins de Minuit' is almost jaunty with its “oh-oh-oh-oh-oh” refrain, but it also contains crushing riffs that resonate across the packed Gorilla. Tonight, they manage to be both minimal and anthemic, fragile and furious. ![]() This is a very convoluted way of saying that Alcest are doing something very different to anyone else in our world. They are artists painting complex tapestries with sound, explores into unknown sonic galaxies and cosmic surfers riding the transcendental waves of euphoric riffs. They may be fuelled by anger and indignity, but they are sure able to carry a tune or two.Īlcest have transcended being musicians. Overall they are a snarly, aggressive but ultimately accessible proposition. Quentin Sauvé (Q to his grandma) doesn't just play the bass, he heavies it around like a weapon of mass destruction. They burn off the stage with intensity and malicious intent. Birds in a Row feel vital and energising. ’ 15-38' starts off sounding like Pavement in their prime and then veers off into a much more heavier pastures. In fact the end of 'Love is Political’ has a feel of early Red Hot Chili Peppers, back when they were exciting and vital, rather than jaded and bloated. During their set Birds in a Row make countless daring raids into a whole plethora of genres. Opening track 'We Count So We Don’t Have To Listen' may well be barely three minutes on record, but here it stretches out into a ten minute plus jam, mainly caused by Bart Hirigoyen (known as B) needing to change a guitar string. Their sound is caustic and confrontational, but sat squarely in the middle of it is this amazing jingly-jangly guitar. Yet that is exactly why we’re so drawn to its ethereal beauty.If Johnny Marr formed a hardcore band they would sound exactly like Birds In A Row. It takes us into a fresh reality, one that, unfortunately, we must eventually return from. It reminds us of what pure innocence and true happiness are supposed to feel like. The album finds harmony between memory and what is yet to come. Then it dawns on you: this is where you want to be, to stay forever. ![]() Toward the end of your travels, the title track’s piano notes are waves lapping at your feet, and the sun warms your bare skin-stripping away any fears as you stare into the distance. By the time you’ve wandered into “Opale,” you’ll realize that there’s no turning back, as Birgisson gives us his Icelandic flavor of longing with fading vocals and dreamy echoing. Opening track “Wings” gently lifts you from everything you’re familiar with. Band leader Neige teams up with Jónsi Birgisson of Sigur Rós fame and takes us to a place not of this world. Compared to their past work, Shelter is a different journey altogether. ![]() If given only one word, “bittersweet” is how I’d describe Alcest’s newest album. ![]()
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