Review Summary: Once more into the blender...
It’s evident by
Savage Sinusoid’s cover that Gau¬tier Serre aka Igorrr knows his music isn’t for the faint of heart. Like the ball of flesh adorning this cover
Savage Sinusoid is a convoluted, grotesque, and even violating listen. The type of violating that can best be described by a clown showing up uninvited to your birthday party. Igorrr’s eccentric vision plays games with your mind in a way few artists can, teasing it with an absurd and relentless barrage of breakcore, heavy metal, and classical baroque which on paper have no business even being mentioned in the same sentence. The genius (and where Igorrr wins this game) not being that he’s gotten it to work and work well, but how after hearing it you’re inclined turn into that guy, “Yeah, heavy metal breakcore with classical baroque trimmings of course it works who’s the one who said it shouldn’t?”
Savage Sinusoid can be seen as a focusing of Igorrr’s lunacy but don’t make the mistake in thinking he’s been tamed. In fact, the most notable change is a sharp sinister edge Igorrr infuses into his music that permeates every nook and cranny of the album. Harsh electronics buzz and whirr alongside operatic singing, which themselves in “Opus Brain” soar beautifully before devolving into a grating static mess in a jarring juxtaposition frequently employed throughout
Savage Sinusoid to great effect.
Hand in hand with the foreboding atmosphere is an air of genuine silliness. Gone are the electronic passages that turned
Hallelujah into a dance record for minutes at a time and in their stead Igorrr’s inner Barnum and Bailey takes a lead role. Whether intentionally or not, songs like “Houmous” and “Cheval” present like twisted circus acts. And like so much of
Savage Sinusoid, this marriage comes off as supremely novel owing equally to the frenetic pacing and the virtuosity of the instrumentation. The sheer amount of noises Igorrr packs into
Savage Sinusoid is indeed impressive. Every inch of the man’s influences are explored and reexplored. The aforementioned operatic vocals give the album a tangible Diablo Swing Orchestra vibe while pacing the record in such a way to ensure its breakneck speed doesn’t become tiresome. These slower moments frequently get deconstructed and broken down into a cacophony of buzzing and riffage but neither outstay their welcome nor are too fleeting.
Savage Sinusoid, like all of Igorrr’s albums, requires an open mind to enjoy whether you’re familiar with the man’s work or not. The flamboyant variety and frequent relentlessness of the music cuts and slices at you from beginning to end and once the album spits you out in a wet ball on the floor, don’t be surprised if, at least one more time, you feel compelled to get violated all over again.
