Through what prism should you listen to the new album of the Montreal band Thus Owls? After a few repeated listenings, we still ask ourselves the question. This fifth offering by the couple Erika and Simon Angell is unclassifiable, a sign of multifaceted works that we never really manage to explore.
Posted at 1:00 p.m.
Each piece weaves the canvas of a sophisticated musical universe where jazz, avant-garde, post-rock, folk, progressive rock, psychedelia or scents of trip-hop rub shoulders. Far from appearing dispersed, this eclecticism seems on the contrary perfectly homogeneous, united by ambitious arrangements, a triad of free saxophones, the feverish guitars of Simon Angell and the inhabited voice of Erika Angell, who commands this impressive sonic tapestry.
Although demanding, Who Would Hold You If the Sky Betrayed Us? is never inaccessible. We let ourselves be won over by the atmospheres, the intensity and the depth of the songs.
We go to the end of this (too?) long journey of 66 minutes, both melancholic and volcanic. A success, if you like Godspeed, King Crimson, David Bowie period Blackstar, Pharoah Sanders or The Besnard Lakes. And proof that the Montreal indie rock scene remains a breeding ground for world-class musicians. Hat.
Thus Owls
Who Would Hold You If the Sky Betrayed Us?