Review Summary: An electrifying performance by various leaders of the French post rock scene!
Les Discrets has been one of the leading bands in the French Post Rock scene since Fursy Teyssier created the project in 2003, with the intention of combining both the arts of visual art as well as music. With the two albums released by this project so far,Fursy definitely has left an important and significant mark on the post rock scene, today. When learning that this was the last of their post rock phase, I was someone hesitant, because of the great quality of their two previous studio albums. However, this live album has proved to be a satisfying and energetic farewell to their unique sound.
"Live at Roadburn" is an album with unbelievable energy and an unwavering passion from the musicians in the band. To start off with the positives of this album, the band brought many songs to life with the live renditions of songs such as "Song for Mountains", where a much more heavy and electric sound is present, compared to the album version. In addition to this perk, there is also a lot of jamming on this album. For instance, on "Chanson d'automne" and "Song For Mountains", a good amount of improvisation could be heard from the musicians, which makes the album worthwhile, because listeners could pick up interesting musical segments that are not heard on studio versions of the songs. In summary, this album felt alive and added a new aura to some of their best known songs.
Although, this live album is filled with many captivating moments, there are also certain things on this album that could be a bit more refined. For the most part mixing on this album is pretty good, aside from certain points on the album such as "Les Feuilles L'olivier" which was one of the songs that I was most excited for, upon learning about the album's setlist. The problem in this song was the vocals were very low in the mix, whereas the instrumentals were much louder. With such enticing vocal melodies in this song, this was somewhat of a disappointment for me, when listening to the album. Another letdown on this album was the connection between the audience and Teyssier. After each song he would practically say "Thank You Very Much." After hearing this 8 times on the album, it felt a bit stale and scripted. This connection is major, as it affects the overall atmosphere and energy of an album.
Overall, this album was excellent. Although, a few problems were evident while listening to the album, it is definitely something you should pick up, whether it be on vinyl or at the band's bandcamp.
