Album review: Alcest – Les Chants De L’Aurore

Despite being one of the first entities to dabble in the juxtaposition of beauty and brutality that came to be known as blackgaze, Alcest have always been best understood as a singular, solitary force. Neige, very much the main man here in that he plays everything except the drums, originally conceived the band as a way to reflect childhood visions of an uncanny, euphoric nature. And while his last couple of records foregrounded a certain foreboding, influenced by dark events in the real world, Les Chants De L’Aurore finds the clouds clearing to let the brightness shine through once more.

The result is a collection of vibrantly melodic pieces with an emphasis on the uplifting. Feelings of hopefulness and optimism are threaded through Komorebi and L’Envol; while the occasional passage of double-kick action from drummer Winterhalter adds momentum to the positivity, an unexpected burst of guttural growl on the latter marks one of the album’s reminders of Alcest’s more metallic side. Améthyste is perhaps the closest thing here to archetypal blackgaze, its wintry guitar lines possessed of shimmering grandeur. In contrast, Flamme Jumelle sits in a gentler space between dream-pop and alt.rock.

Piano vignette Réminiscence and the sweet farewell of L’Adieu continue to emphasise mellower impulses, bookending the swelling dynamics of L’Enfant De La Lune. Unquestionably the most proggy proposition on the album, this tune shifts through different passages like a receptacle for all the musical touches Alcest have at their disposal. As such, it’s part of a listening experience which often feels like something of a journey, and if the specific destination is ambiguous, the direction is very much into the light.

Verdict: 3/5

For fans of: Deafheaven, Explosions In The Sky, MØL

Les Chants De L’Aurore is released on June 21 via Nuclear Blast