I am not French….my understanding of the French language extends only slightly further than basic GCSE level (I can happily order wine and charcuterie, but don’t ask me to have a philosophical conversation about the nature of existence or discuss the innerworkings of a combustion engine). This makes it even more impressive that the third release by Poitiers based Gros Enfant Mort connected with me as strongly as it did!
A solo project (we’ll get on to that later) by a figure who eschews publicity and seems to be known simply as ‘Alexis’, Le Sang Des Pierres is a record that finds balance between the beauty of the world and the raging guilt we all share for destroying it.
There is a moment in opener ‘Cloué au sol’ where the intensity of the vocals are slowly increased and the screamo style is introduced amongst the dreamy piano melodies…and from that early moment, I was completely hooked! Whether it’s the more melodic moments of tracks like ‘Château decartes’ and ‘L’art deperdre’ that hark back to the golden days of 90’s Emo(think of band like Sunny Day Real Estate) or the more hardcore influenced tracks such as ‘Saigne! Saigne! Saigne!’ and ‘Paillasson 4ever’, every moment is placed with precision and delivered with an honesty and emotional weight that is unmistakable.
There are no stand-out moments here, there are no clear ‘lead singles’ to be recommended to an inattentive passer-by. Every second of the 35-minute runtime is as important as the second that came before it, every deafening, rasping sentence that is delivered from the mouth of Alexis is one that you just can’t turn away from.
The astounding cohesion to the writing of these nine songs can only be attributed to the fact that they have been written, developed and performed by one individual (although he does recruit other members for live shows).This record acts as both an introverted personal letter and a rage-filled statement of intent…it is a record that needs to be listened to!
Best Paired With: A cold glass of Haut-Poiteau Sauvignon Blanc, a handful of gunpowder and a packet of Strepsils.
Review by Bryn.
Gros enfant mort – le sang des pierres is out now on moment of collapse.
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