The Rock Blogger

Alcest Souvenirs d’un autre monde 2007. 4.5 stars.

Among the several recent discoveries of albums I overlooked in 2007, is this post-rock gem by France’s Alcest. Souvenirs is an ethereal, hypnotic and engaging listen that takes shoe-gaze dynamics to new and evocative heights. While formerly a black metal band, Alcest has moved away from that genre’s resigned aggressiveness to produce this work of surprising tranquility, dipping into the same shimmering, glacial pools as Sigur Ros and even Jesu.

The tracks here are layered with hazy and churning guitars that wash over you, while the serene (and indecipherable) vocals glide over the beautiful chaos, driving epic and fluid compositions toward a distant horizon. Like the album’s title suggests, Alcest’s work here is like a window to another world, one of blinding sunshine and swirling snow drifts, where battered souls can hide from their Earthly troubles. Truly an exercise in catharsis that plays to your imagination.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 9th, 2008 at 8:41 pm and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.