Alcest

The third full-length album from French iconoclasts Alcest is a journey. Characterized by a strong forward movement and breathless, buoying optimism that was somewhat repressed by the melancholia of their previous efforts, this release sees the band reaching forward to expand their sound into new, more surreal landscapes. The record unfurls like a narrative, full of adventurous tones and tremulous, emotive melodies. From the opening of "Autre Temps," Les Voyages De L'Âme ensnares the listener in bourgeoning excitement, like wind filling a ship's sails. The shimmering strength in the guitars contains a renewed vigour, a kind of tensile strength that cuts through the misty, ambient passages. "Beings of Light" is an excellent example of this new force, as the sweet and supple intro is cleaved apart, the cloying yearning brushed away by joyous energy. The music contains all of the trembling beauty fans have come to expect from Alcest, combined with a sense of vitality and wanderlust. Les Voyages De L'Âme explores rather than pleads.