Autour de Lucie

Immobile (Nettwerk)
by Katy Shea

I would have sworn that one of the seven signs of Armageddon would be me listening to any kind of popular music with a total disregard for lyrical content, especially if said music could be described as “electronica” and man, it was a shock for me to be completely entranced by the beauty and depth of Autour de Lucie’s Immobile to the point where I was overwhelmed and swept up in its wash of liquid beauty. The Parisian trio surprised me, obviously, but I feel lucky to have happened upon this CD, as it is not my usual habit to scour the international bins in search of songs I can’t understand.

The language barrier is a gift here, enabling the listener to focus on the lush waves of sound and mood without the weight of the usual pre-interpretation. The sentiments of loss, regret, and sadness are omnipresent (re: French band) but these feelings are raised to a level of synchronicity and transcendence that surround you without pretense.

The underlying textures are lush and well-woven to support the hypnotic melodies of Valerie Leuillot’s effortlessly ethereal, soothing vocals. The moods created are dark, but real and believable as they are comprehensively fleshed out. The vocal lines, most often heard through the mesh of effects and distortion, carry the intent of the melody with a delicate ease and a sweetness that never strays into the saccharine or the vapid. It is the guitar, finally, whether a steadily strummed acoustic or a dense electric with heavy distortion, that guides us through this ambient universe and provides the steady certainty of purpose that anchors the band’s sound and lends the necessary weight to this outstanding release.