Alcest - Écailles de lune
Full-length, Prophecy Productions, March 29th, 2010
Alcest are finally back with a new release after their the highly acclaimed "Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde" record. For those who who were expecting "Souvenirs..." part 2, you might be a bit disappointed. The elements of that record are intact, but they have managed to incorporate some darker aspects that could possibly be compared to black metal (much more akin to their Le Secret EP). For me personally, I believe their best release to be the "Le Secret" EP, I enjoyed "Souvenirs..." but the more I listened to it, the more I felt all the songs were a bit too flowery and sounded the same. That is why I appreciate this record all the more, their are more dynamics in the songs, which lend a bit more interest throughout the duration of the album. The trademark 'happy', shoegazing riff-age still rears its head numerous times on the record but they are clashed with darker black metal-y moments. Neige's other trademark, his vocal style, is also in full effect. There is plenty of his effeminate, nasal singing is all over this album. There is a load of atmosphere on this record and the emotional spectrum is all over the place. The bulk of this emotional load is spent trudging through the polar opposites of happy and melancholy. The guitar and drum interplay really stand out on many of these songs, the songs are well composed and do manage to carry themselves through to the end without being boring. Neige surely does have a knack for composing interesting guitar riffs.
The production of this album definitely lends a hand in the overall atmosphere. Not too clean and just enough grit to make the sugar-sweet melodies not become overbearing. If this album was over-produced, I would think it would come off far too sappy and feeling-less, but when Alcest breaks from the more softer moments into the black metal-ish sections, is when the group really shines. It adds the much needed break in monotony that their previous album simply had none of. The shrieking vocals in the more aggressive sections are well done, as Neige at times sounds like he is going to vomit from the force he is belting out during those vocals. There is definitely an air of truth and honesty in the fact that the music does not come off as fake or melodramatic. Kudos must be given to any artist(s) that can make their music sound truly genuine and I think Alcest has succeeded here. I am very much interested to see what the next Alcest record will bring, I am personally hoping for them to continue the path of light/dark and mellow/aggressive dynamics to their future releases. For me it makes the album much easier to listen to, in regards to not falling asleep to it.
So in all, I think this record is not a bad listen, definitely not worth a lot of the hype built around the project, but not bad by any means. I think if Alcest continue down the path explored on this album, the future could be very bright for them. I must also add that the artwork for this album is absolutely stunning in every way.
6/10 - Review by E.
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