Friday 10 May 2013

Sutter Cane - Sous La Pierre et L'asphodele


A while ago, I posted about some CD's I was sent by French label Orchidscent Records. Well. there was another two records in that pack so I thought I'd better post about them as well. This was the first one, but French post-hardcore bands Sutter Cane. This six-track record came packed it a printed black envelope, with the CD inside in a printed case as well as an old-newspaper style lyric insert. It was also sealed with wax, which featured the band's logo!

Sutter Cane formed in 2010 and so far have two albums, this one being their latest. They've also just played a support slot alongside The Ocean Collective, which is a pretty big deal.

Tracklist:-

1. (...)
2. Le Son Des Horloges Distillant Le Temps
3. Scelle Un Destin Dans Une Ulitme Resonance
4. Du Passe Et De L'eternel Present
5. Ravive Par Cet Amour Encore Brulant
6. Dont Les Eclats M'accompagnent Sur Les Chemins Sinueux De La Patience

This is my first introduction to Sutter Cane. The intro track is certainly broody, with low piano and the sound of rain in the background. The addition of haunting strings and spoken word French also builds atmosphere. Sutter Cane then immediately launch into Le Son Des Horloges Distillant Le Temps. Vocalist Michael attacks the songs completely in French. The bands play at a hell of a volume too. It's mid-paced but the drums are smashed and the guitars/bass feature more on the low side, apart from the occasional melodies. It's very much in the vein of melodic, European screamo with post-metal influences thrown in.

After the short blast of the previous song, Sutter Cane settle down and play lengthier pieces. Scelle Un Destin.... starts with regimental snare rhythms and calmly plucked guitar. Their post-hardcore/metal influences shine through in the extended instrumental build up, but you feel it's about explode at any moment. Explode it does, with low down-temp riffs and then the vocals kick in again and with it a sense of crestfallen emotion. This is very different to the other CD's I've reviewed from Orchidscent. It's more menacing and has a sinister edge to. Du Passe Et De L'eternel Present sees Sutter Cane playing with slightly more off-kilter songwriting. The instrumentation seems to be at the forefront of everything that Sutter Cane does.  The vocals seem to built around it and the band seem to be more than able to switch between phases and passages in songs, without any sign of trouble.

Another thing that sticks out for me on this record is that fact that each song flows into the next. There are no pointless gaps to ruin the momentum of the record. The production also gives it added beef. It leaves enough room for the band to breathe without making them sound too clean or sterile, but it is clear and the instruments, while down-tempo, are easily noticeable. Their progressive streak shines through the whole record as well, especially once you get to closing track Dont Les Eclats...; at nearly eleven minutes in length. It's actually a prime example of how Sutter Cane inject their songs with ideas and textures to stop it from becoming boring. They are able to keep the listener hooked throughout. They've got the length of the record itself right as well. At six songs, it's enough to give you a decent taste of the band and what they're about.

A really good first impression in my eyes. Sutter Cane are another great French band and one that deserves more attention.

You can listen to the whole record below:-


The CD was a collaborative release by three labels - Orchidscent Records, Braincrushing Records and A l'Ombre de cette Vie. Check out the below links to find out where you can pick this up from:-

Orchidscent Records - http://orchidscentrecords.blogspot.co.uk/
Braincrushing Records - http://www.braincrushingrecords.com/
A l'Ombre de cette Vie - http://alombredecettevie.blogspot.co.uk/

Sutter Cane can be found here https://www.facebook.com/SutterCaneBand

No comments:

Post a Comment