Alcest / Les Discrets | ‘Split’

Whatever you thought about Alcest’s 2007 debut, ‘Souvenirs d’un Autre Monde’, it’s clear that at the very least, their uncommon style established them as one of the stranger entities in the Metal underground.

Marrying a very soft, wall-of-sound approach with lush acoustic workouts and just the faintest trace of metallic aggression, frontman Neige presided over a collection of songs that despite the obvious softness and delicate nature of it all, was somehow irresistible in its purity.

The two tracks the band contribute to this split are no drastic change in style, and will certainly continue to capture the attention of those who enjoyed the album. That being said, the almost ordothox workout of ‘Percées De Lumière’, full of tugging guitar hooks and yearning vocals point to an oddly orthodox approach, coming close to an out-and-out rock song, but being completely enjoyable for it.

As if to balance this out, the other piece, ‘Circe Poisoning the Sea’, acts a proper curveball with velvety guitar passages and echoing ambience pointing to a different Alcest than the one we’ve seen before, but one that’s just as beguiling. Endlessly playable, the two tracks act as a good one-two hit, leaving the listener wanting more and effectively showcasing the quality the group are capable of in just ten minutes.

For their part, and this being their first release, fellow French group Les Discrets certainly rise to the challenge, providing a trio of tracks that tread the line between expansive post-rock and more earthy sounding folk.

Not a million miles from Alcest’s own upbeat moments, the pulsing bass and vocal drive of ‘L’ Échappée’ provide an absorbing atmosphere, with a few quick touches of clean, soaring guitar really adding to the track. Their half of the split slides by smoothly, with a touch of double bass in the thundering crescendo of ‘Song for Mountains’ giving the listener a nice shot in the arm and signaling the end of the record.

With both groups being broadly in the same ballpark, this is one that will appeal to almost anyone to enjoys a bit of hook-laden haze and atmospherics, with Prophecy Productions catering for the obvious demand with a CD format along with the usual vinyl. Acting as an almost maddeningly short taste of what both groups are capable of providing in the future, it’s a short and sweet release that comes highly recommended.

4 / 5 -Lorcan Archer ::: 27/01/2010