Review: La Vérité :: Elephant

Scheduled for release in March 2010 and pre-orders on 20th Feb, Elephant is La Vérité’s 2nd album and 3rd release.

The band has been around since 2006, releasing a self titled Ep in 2007 and then their first album, This Divine Desolate City, in 2008. This album really gave the band some presence in the Post Rock scene and it was generally accepted as an album that can be listened to as a whole, with no mediocre tracks, and some real diamonds like Claymore and Be(lie)ve. The album picks the listener up and proceeds to take them on a journey through all facets of the genre.

So how does La Vérité continue their legacy after 2009, which I see as a year where many bands starting branching out of the norm and experimenting with new sounds, ultimately moving the genre in a new direction? Will they venture away from safe territory or choose to continue along the path they have proven themselves in.

After my initial disappointment of only seeing 4 tracks on the album, I was glad to see that one of those tracks was 20 minutes long, and the album has a total play-time of over 42 minutes.

Your Eyes Are The Sun starts with TWDY-esque guitars, bringing in heavier riffs and drums after a minute or so, followed by a delicate melody. Tempo changes and lulls force the ears to listen closer, a build up catches you off guard. A solid album opener, that would have fit on This Divine Desolate City.

What We All Have In Common is a gentle track with intricate layers of guitar meandering between themselves. High hats lead the build up, which disappears as quickly as it came, and then back into a Mono-like scape of sound with great usage of panning (I’m listening on headphones). In my opinion, this track will rock when played loud & live. (Download below)

A Shared Silence is a piano piece of 5 minutes, proving that La Vérité is more than a guitar bearing rock band. A hauntingly sad track, the title and melody bring images of disharmony to mind, a finespun web of emotions, inflected with complexity and melancholy.

Pachyderm is the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, a 20 minute monster track that shows La Vérité’s composing skills to its fullest. Winding leisurely well into 8 minutes of the track, waves of calmness lead into a classic Post Rock build up. Curving back and forth, in my minds eye I can see the band on stage, hardly moving, the audience captured in a cloud of resonance and modulation. 10 minutes in the clouds start to dissipate, bringing precision and accuracy. A slow strengthening, clear tones emerge, a simple but effective tune on the guitar, layers and layers beneath. Drums become more prominent, the rhythm slow. Goose bumps, the song reaches a level (14 minutes) and stabilizes, maintaining tension, while trying to increase the pressure, growing further, drums lead the way into lofty heights. Towering above me, 18 minutes in and no sign of La Vérité wanting to let go. My pulse has given in and is in time with the music, pounding and hammering me. And still the tension increases, only letting me go after almost 20 minutes. This is the track that makes the whole CD a must-have, a perfect ending for the album. If you’ve ever had a chill run down your spine and liked it, you’ll understand and love this track.

Summary
To come back to my question at the beginning of the review, La Vérité have chosen new ground, while still remaining loyal to the sounds they gave us with This Divine Desolate City. Representative Post Rock sounds are mixed with originality throughout the album, as well as new grounds being broken. Altogether a thoroughly enjoyable album that shouldn’t be missed, especially the last track.

The band has been kind enough to offer 1 track as a free download.
Get Your Eyes Are The Sun here. (Right-click, “Save as”)