As you could have probably guessed, Les Discrets is a French band. Being released at the same time as label mate Alcest, this new album is basically in the same vein as Ecailles de Lune. In general though, I found this one more interesting.
Again we have a French band that writes its lyrics in their native tongue. The vocals are of the clean type; perhaps even too clean for the general musical direction , and they are somewhat emotionless. Fortunately, the music speaks better than words on this disc. The emotional soundscapes of those strong compositions were built on various levels. On one hand you have the heavier / intense sound wall of those crunchy guitar riffs /strong bass lines and rhythms, and on the other, the dreamy /melancholic melodious sounds. The latter are being carried out by ambient keyboards and fine acoustic tonalities. A few samplings are present once and a while to create a nice atmosphere. They include: water, crows and wind. A touch of female back vocals embellish the compositions too. The compositions demonstrate mature songwriting and those Frenchmen are crafty musicians.
I pretty much enjoyed listening to Septembre et ses Derniéres Pensées. As for the highlights: "L'Echappé", "Song for Mountains" and the title track. The best compositions are: "Effet de Nuit", "Chanson d'Automne" and "Suipdagr&Freyja".
Track listing:
1 – L'envol des Corbeaux
2 – L'échappée
3 – Les Feuilles de l'Olivier
4 – Song for Mountains
5 – Sur les Quais
6 – Effet de Nuit
7 – Septembre et ses Dernières Pensées
8 – Chanson d'Automne
9 – Svipdagr & Freyja
10 – Une Matinée d'Hiver