Amesoeurs

I don’t do music reviews as much as I used to, but I’m going to try to start again. Hopefully it will strengthen my writing skills, and show me how to be a better music critic.

So, right now I’m listening to Amesoeurs newest self titled album. I wouldn’t consider myself a fan of new wave, but strangely this album has grown on me. I’m not saying it’s a new wave album, but there are new wave songs on here, mixed with some post rock, extreme metal, and a bit of industrial. Overall, the album gives a sense of melancholy, similar to what is shown on the album cover.

The album starts out with a build up, from a repeating riff, to a post rock barrage of sound, mixed with industrial elements. The second track is what really sets the tone for the rest of the album. Les Ruches Malades is one of the new wave songs I was talking about. While this song isn’t pulled straight out of the 70s or 80s, it will definitely remind some of the same sounds that became so popular during those decades. It’s not a bad track. It’s actually growing on me, and I can see myself giving this repeat listens in the future. The next track, Heurt, is a bit heavier, bringing to mind some of the alternative rock that came out of the early 90s; actually I was reminded of Smashing Pumpkins while listening to this, with its heavy riffs and soft interludes. So this track is one of the better ones, in my opinion.

Recueillement, the fourth song, starts out with a doomy riff. The vocals here, unlike the previous two, are not just female vocals. Instead, they mix more harsh vocals with a little bit of female vocals, which fits perfectly with the doom metal sound of the song. The heavy part then flows into a soft melody, before ending with a variant on the heavy riff. This song is one of my favorites on the album; from the moment the song begins, to when the vocals kick in, you can tell it’s one of the more emotional pieces on here. Track five, Faux Semblants, takes us back into new wave territory. While not being a standout track, its simplicity does not take away from the album, and fits in with the melancholy theme of the album well.

Then we are treated to a piano interlude, that is drowned in reverb. OK, so drowned is probably not the best word, since the music is still important, but here it’s the atmosphere that really stands out, a bleak atmosphere evocative of the album cover. From here, the album takes a complete 180, when the next song begins with an extreme metal sound. Track 7 is definitely the heaviest track on the album, from its harsh vocals to its frantic speed. It doesn’t completely stick out like a sore thumb though. It ends with industrial sounds and scratches.

Video Girl and La Reine Trayeuse take us back once more to the softer sounds similar to Faux Semblants. While these may not appeal to everyone, they are no doubt solid pieces that contribute to the album’s overall sound. Only towards the end of La Reine Trayeuse does the sound change to a frenzy, replete with painful screaming and fast drum beats. The title track of the album, Amesoeurs, is one of the more upbeat ones, with a goth rock/alternative fusion. Like I said, I don’t listen to this music on a regular basis, but I can see myself listening to this in the future. The final track, Au Crepuscule de Nos Reves, doesn’t deviate from the rest of the album, as it mixes post rock and the harsh vocals we’ve heard throughout, with a soft guitar part somewhere in between. The track ends at the 5:33 mark, and then at 9:01 the album is closed with a short industrial loop. This was also one of my favorite ones on the album.

Overall this is a good record. The melancholy theme is expressed very well throughout, at times setting a bleak atmosphere for the listener. The new wave or goth rock sounds may not appeal to everyone (i.e. those expecting more extreme metal), but with an open mind, it might grown on some like it has on me.

-Leo