When you think of bands that base their sound around a piano, you may think of Billy Joel or the likes of Something Corporate – and probably shudder. But those cheesy tinkling of the ivory myths have been dispelled by a band from Minnesota who take everything from the post-hardcore/indie rock genre and throw in some bizarre time changes and melodies, alongside a glorious piano. Trust Deep Elm to bring something that is eclectic and utterly compelling to our stereos.
Clair De Lune are fascinating. They may not have the best songs in the world, and as an album it can be difficult listening over the space of 10 songs, but it’s compelling stuff, simply because you don’t know what will come next. Whether it’s the atmospheric introduction of ‘Life On Remote’ or the harder edged ‘Sailor Beware’, the band create something of a musical masterpiece and you can’t help but be drawn in. For me ‘Marionettes’ is more a complete piece of music rather than an album of songs, it flows tremendously well and creates mood and emotion rather than invokes three-minutes of pleasant listening.
For example, ‘Passenger View’ is a bizarre mish-mash of sounds, that mixes in guitar effects with crunchy riffs, and a piano riff which meshes beautifully with the crashing drums and Justin Burckhard’s tortured vocal. Then there’s the stunning ‘Relapse’, which starts off beautifully, and ‘Varicose’ which collides with walls of guitar and thudding basslines, before slowly mellowing out to become a really beautiful, and effortlessly sincere, track.
‘Marionettes’ is a difficult record, but is extremely rewarding. It reminds me of a far more upbeat Desert City Soundtrack, in the sense that both records are fantastic, if not ones that I’d usually be attracted to. Deep Elm even described this record as one of the best they will ever release. I wouldn’t say they were too wide of the mark…
www.deepelm.com
Paul