Ecailles De Lune [Vinyl] [Import]

Alcest | Format: Vinyl

Product Details

• Vinyl (April 6, 2010)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: 101 DISTRIBUTION
• ASIN: B0037FFANC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,163,176 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Cailles De Lune (Part I)

2. Cailles De Lune (Part II)

3. Perces De Lumire

4. Abysses

5. Solar Song

6. Sur L'Ocan Couleur De Fer

Editorial Reviews

Review

If any proof were needed that anticipation was at a fever pitch for Alcest's second full-length album, it could be found in the fact that a clever leak of Écailles de Lune that made the rounds before its release was rabidly snapped up worldwide even though most of the tracks came from a compilation of Chinese black metal acts. But the fact that it was treated as the real thing shows how strong Alcest's own aesthetic mark has been made already, and Écailles de Lune makes the most of its compelling fusion of black metal's theatricality and the after-echoes of shoegaze's propensity for utterly enveloping a listener, even if bandleader Neige approached that sound unconsciously at first. The first half of the two-part title track that begins the album starts with a gentle guitar chime before the full skyscraping riff kicks in, but -- instead of getting even more intense as it goes -- it's happy to turn even more elegantly beautiful, letting moments of strutting rock brawl feel more like exaltation than destruction. Neige's singing is some of his loveliest at many points throughout the album, a soft keen toward the middle of the second half of the title track, a low and contemplative rumination elsewhere -- if not notably different from his earlier work in approach, it's at its most enjoyable here, and perhaps at its most beautifully serene on "Solar Song," vocals overlaid to lovely effect. In contrast to how Justin Broadrick's work in Jesu feels like brutal songs gone blissed-out, here it feels like calmly performed songs given sometimes full-speed accelerants that never lose a central grace, even when Neige's vocals turn into a familiar hollow rasp and wail. --Ned Raggett - All Music Guide --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Description

The successor of ALCEST's highly acclaimed debut album "Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde" is entitled "Écailles De Lune". A masterpiece of Shoegaze (Dark) Metal / Post Rock and available in two versions, Regular Edition jewel case and a special Digibook Edition. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Alcest - Écailles de Lune, May 4, 2010

By 

Andrew Vice (Plano, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ecailles De Lune (Digipack Edition) (Audio CD)

Alcest is the current musical venture of the blackwave mastermind, Neige. Known for his seamless blend of shoegaze and black metal, Neige is a pioneer in the field, and truly an expert at crafting heavy, crushing, beautiful music. Alcest's brilliant debut, Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde, played more with the shoegaze side of the blackwave genre, but Écailles de Lune finds Neige perfectly balancing these disparate influences while crafting a truly excellent record. Though you'll find some black metal inspired vocals on track 2 and 3, this is largely still a rock album, and Neige's incredible guitar playing is the perfect accompaniment to both his throaty screech and his unexpectedly beautiful singing voice. The instrumentation throughout the record is wisely placed and expertly played, and the production really shines on the opening and closing tracks, the first a progressive number boasting multiple components and a variety of incredible guitar tones. Truly, a record for any fan of guitar rock, this is one of the best of the year.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly Good - No, Great, January 12, 2011

By 

fredw138 "fredw138" (Colorado) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ecailles De Lune (Digipack Edition) (Audio CD)

I was skeptical when I first discovered Alcest. Being informed that it was a major key black metal-esque album with shoegaze elements, I expected to hate it. I'm not a huge fan of the new indie/post-rock black metal style, and generally find it quite boring. However, with this album I was pleasantly surprised upon first listen, and blown away upon repeat listens.

The highlights of the album are the first three tracks. All of them have a very triumphant feel to them in the more metal inspired parts, yet a dreamlike feel in the softer parts. In fact, during the quieter passages, Alcest reminds me of the occult-inspired Goth Rock band Fields of the Nephilim on their seminal "Elizium" album. The end result obtained are foggy visions of a vast meadow in spring. Not the normal feeling one expects from something people refer to as "black" metal.

All in all, this is a beautiful album that I can listen to in almost any situation and feel inspired. The musicianship is top-notch, the melodies stay with you, and the images they evoke in the minds eye are incredible.

Thumbs up!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dreamy and original metal, August 27, 2010

By 

M. Weir (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ecailles De Lune (Digipack Edition) (Audio CD)

I took a chance on this unheard of band and I'm glad I did. The minute I started listening to it I knew it was going to be something special. Every track on this six track album is unique and diverse.

Track 1, 'Ecailles de lune - Part 1', is a mid-tempo melancholic journey with layered harmonizing clean vocals. It very much reminded me of some of Ulver's older material which utilized clean vocals.

Track 2, 'Ecailles de lune - Part 1', starts out deceptively dreamy and mellow, with a simple acoustic guitar passage set to the sound of ocean waves, but seconds later all hell breaks loose as the song transitions into a blistering snare-blast driven black metal song, with harsh vocals and very melodic and catchy guitar work. Good stuff.

Track 3, my favorite track of the album, is titled 'Percées de lumière' and features such a catchy melody throughout the song that every time I listen to it the damn thing is stuck in my head for hours on end. It's slow to mid paced with shrieking black metal style lyrics and a touch of clean female vocals.

Track 4, 'Abysses', is just a minute and a half of dreamy ambient noise to bridge tracks 3 and 5. Nothing special, though it does lead nicely into..

Track 5, 'Solar Song', is a mesmerizing, hypnotic song with layered male clean vocals and a mix of electric and acoustic guitars that swirl around behind the soothing and rich sound of the vocals. A very mellow contrast to the harsh black metal style of tracks 2 and 3.

Finally, the album ends with a very somber 'Sur L'Océan Couleur De Fer', yet another very mellow and hypnotic song. There are no drums here, just acoustic guitars and melancholy clean singing.

This album is so interesting because it's so diverse. It starts somewhat calm, goes into a frenzy during tracks 2 and 3, then winds down into a soothing, dreamy sleep. The album demonstrates a distinct flow from one song to the next, despite them all being so different. One of the best albums I've heard in a long time, and certainly refreshing to the ears of a typical fan of black metal music, as I am.