Until recently, Le Mans was famous for little else than
its twenty-four hour endurance race. Yet, for the last
four years, Monopsone has been creating a bit of a stir
far beyond the walls of this usually quiet provincial
town with releases from Micro:Mega, Laudanum and more
recently Bathyscaphe, progressively gaining widespread
recognition not only in France, but across Europe. As
the label is gearing up for its fifth birthday next
year, they are now releasing the long-awaited debut
album from Supercilious.
Hailing from the heart of the peaceful Loire Valley,
Supercilious’s Alexandre Vaudin’s background
is symptomatic of the great majority of young electronic
musicians. Having spent his formative years in various
rock formations, he eventually turned his attention
to computers and set up his own home studio. Having
released a split EP with Stupid Dog in 2001, Supercilious
has also had a handful of tracks featured on a couple
of compilations, giving him enough exposure to be spotted
by Monopsone. Although his work has remained, until
now, somewhat low-key, Vaudin demonstrates with Next
Time We Go Sublime impressive maturity, not only
in the way he articulates his compositions together,
but also in the way he manipulates atmospheric elements.
Alternating between vocal tracks, featuring female vocalist
Yucky Yummy, and gritty instrumentals, this album presents
a truly inspiring and evocative soundtrack. Often found
frolicking in the vicinity of Mark
Van Hoen’s Locust, Vaudin also references
more versatile soundscapes, at times evoking the delicate
structures of Arovane or Isan.
Yet, this album is before all the manifestation of Vaudin’s
solo recordings and remains extremely personal. As the
album develops between lush soundscapes (Juliette),
melancholic moments (Matriarcal Society, Marion
Spike) and oppressive ambiences (Ideal Son
In Law, A Huge Nice Place For No One),
with Yummy’s vocal contributions occasionally
adding an element of fragility, Vaudin sculpts perfect
pop gems, yet extracting any unwanted element to only
retain their coarse emotional shell. On here, atmospheres
are as important as the music itself. Vaudin crafts
some truly impressive moments, playing with dark sonic
components to maintain tension all the way through.
The cohesion between the music and occasional vocals
is equally as remarkable and contributes to this album
feeling extremely consistent and accomplished all the
way through.
The fruit of years of experimentation, Next Time
We Go Sublime is a significant debut album and
should help establish Supercilious as an act to follow.
Although sometimes slightly predictable, this album
is a truly enjoyable piece of work, which in turns flirts
with post rock, electronica and futuristic pop.
4.3/5 |
