Clair De Lune - Marionettes

  by Benjamin Howarth

published: 12 / 7 / 2004

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Review

Since popular music began, America and Britain have been engaged in a continuous struggle. One sends rock music in a certain form, and the other adds something and sends it back. America gave us Elvis, and we gave them the Beatles and the Stones. They gave us Dylan and the Byrds, and we gave them Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin etc etc. But, regardless of this, there are some bands that couldn’t be anything but British, and some bands that couldn’t have come from anywhere but America. Clair De Lune is the sort of band that simply couldn’t come from Britain. They are American to their core, a fiery bunch clearly brimming with enthusiasm, but also with their hearts and minds in a dark, dark place. Where the blackest British music often captures pessimism and melodrama, Clair De Lune make me think of nothing but fear. Few bands have managed to sound quite so scary. The music this band writes is unrelentingly loud, crushing but with slightly gothic piano lending some semblance of melody, albeit of a particularly ghoulish variety. The two vocalists don’t have the prettiest of voices, but what they lack in grace they make up for with texture. This is an exciting debut record. The band may be pigeonholed within the hardcore scene, but this would do them a great disservice. They have created a sound, which whilst it is certainly loud and aggressive, is dynamic, with some intelligent variations in pace and tone. It is hard to really describe. The band don’t noticeably do anything special, not in terms of instrumental dexterity anyway, but they radiate a tremendous energy. The only stumbling point is that the band perhaps have not varied their songwriting quite enough, but with a little more experience, I suspect Clair De Lune will be remembered as a truly great band. Anyone looking for a powerful rock record with a ghostly dramatism is suggested to investigate this very promising debut album, Clair De Lune is a name not to forget. Quite simply, a special debut.

Track Listing:-

1 Sailor Beware
2 Ghost Of The Hill
3 Life On Remote
4 Passenger View
5 Twenty Threes
6 Machinegun Lipstick
7 Blue Ribbon
8 Relapse
9 The Things They Carried
10 Varicose