by Aaron Gidney
According to the band’s Bandcamp page, BRUIT \ˈbrü-ē\ is French for ‘noise’ which is a truly accurate description of this post-rock/modern classical quartet from Toulouse, France.
With an album title as long as this one, it’s every iTunes/digital users’ nightmare, however, don’t let that put you off -hidden inside this four track, 40 minute album is a lot of sophisticated, well thought out compositions worthy of aural investment.
The tired ‘Post-Rock’ description betrays the depth of the modern classical minimalist influences on this record, particularly given the heavy use of strings, clarinet and piano across the four tracks.
The extended classical excursions are intertwined with drums, bass, synth and soaring, ethereal Frippertronics-esque guitar lines/tape loops – and although these sections do sound like classic ‘Post-rock’ traits, they are broken up by gorgeous classical guitar fingerstyle interludes.
The majority of this album is very haunting and full of reverb-laden subtle texture which amazingly gives a full sound, whilst maintaining a completely authentic minimalist, experimental vibe. Whilst there are no vocals across the album, there are a couple of spoken word snippets – mainly in Amazing Old Tree where the voiceover talks about…trees.
The record feels incredibly deep, emotional and clearly treated by the band as a work of art, rather than ‘songs’. In fact, weirdly, it sounds a bit like a musical equivalent of a French art installation in that the compositions are trying to portray ‘something’, whether an emotion, vibe, commentary, whatever. Simply incredible.
Clearly, a lot of effort and thought has gone into the sound design of each instrument, track, soundscape and I’m sure multiple listens will reward the listener with the discovery of hidden musical layers buried within. It’s also a real treat when every album track bleeds into one another, creating one cohesive piece of art that feels like it was all recorded in one take one dark night.
A gorgeous, sophisticated piece of art that is instantly rewarding, whilst promising longer term benefits from future listens.
Tracks:
- Industry
- Renaissance
- Amazing Old Tree
- The Machine Is Burning
Spirit of Progressive Rock 