Shelter (album)
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| Studio album by Alcest | ||||
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Publication |
17th January 2014 |
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| Label (s) | Prophecy Productions | |||
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Title (number) |
8 |
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running time |
45 min 36 sec |
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Studio (s) |
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Shelter is the fourth studio album by the French Blackgaze band Alcest . It was released on January 17, 2014 via the German record company Prophecy Productions . The work comprises eight or nine tracks and has a total playing time of 45 minutes 36 seconds or 52 minutes 7 seconds.
The album was produced by Sigur Rós singer Jón Þór Birgisson in the band's own studio Sundlaugin in Mosfellsbær near the Álafoss waterfall , Iceland . Musically, Shelter is a departure from Blackgaze and turns towards shoegazing and post-rock .
Background information
Was taken shelter in Sundlaugin studio in Iceland . Sigur Rós singer Jón Þór Birgisson was responsible as the producer .
On November 29, 2013, Opale released a single and a music video. The music video was inspired by the Indian spring festival Holi , the "festival of colors". A week before the album was released, another track, Delivrance , was made available to the public in advance. The album was released on January 17, 2014.
Neil Halstead , singer of the British band Slowdive , could be won as a guest musician . For this collaboration, the song Away , unlike on the earlier works by Alcest, was written entirely in English .
During the recordings, the musicians only used the most necessary technical aids such as a computer and microphones . Winterhalter only used three microphones to record the drum tracks. Because of the mixing, which was done without Winterhalter on Iceland , the drumming has faded into the background. Winterhalter himself said that in some parts it was too quiet, in other parts it sounded nice.
Concept and album title
The album tells of a place of refuge and safety in which the listeners can immerse themselves and relax. Neige dedicates the songs to the sea , which is a retreat for himself. Neige said in an interview with German rock hard that everyone has fascination and fear in relation to the ocean. It is as huge as space and the lowest point on earth. Due to the fact that humans originated in water in the mother's womb, there is a part in humans that longs for water. On Écailles de Lune, Neige describes, among other things, the dark side of the sea; Shelter, on the other hand, is the summer side.
“I think we all have this fascination and fear about the ocean. It's like outer space, big, dark and we know it's the deepest part of our planet. We ourselves arose in the water, in our mother's belly. In a way, we always miss it. And when you sit at the edge of the sea or a lake, it clears your mind. On the "Écailles De Lune" album I was more inspired by the dark side of the sea, with this very romantic scenario, the moon and the silver reflections. With "Shelter" it's more the summer side. "
The name Shelter was chosen because he thought the word would have sounded “shit” in French. The artwork was adapted to the album title: If the painted pictures on the last two works Écailles de Lune and Les Voyages de l'Âme matched, Neige saw the simplicity of a photo as the perfect cover for Shelter .
Track list
| # | title | composer | length | Remarks |
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| 1. | Wings ("wings") | Running out | 1:32 | |
| 2. | Opals (" Opal ") | Running out | 4:56 | |
| 3. | La Nuit Marche avec Moi ("The night goes with me") | Running out | 4:58 | |
| 4th | Voix Sereines ("Siren's voices ") | Running out | 6:44 | |
| 5. | L'Éveil des Muses ("The Awakening of the Muses") | Running out | 6:49 | |
| 6th | Shelter ("refuge" or "shelter") | Running out | 5:29 | |
| 7th | Away ("Fort") | Running out | 5:02 | with Neil Halstead |
| 8th. | Délivrance ("Delivery") | Running out | 10:06 | |
| 9. | Into the Waves ( "In the Waves") | Running out | 6:31 | Bonus song on the deluxe version, with Billie Lindahl |
music
Shelter represents a musical departure from the influences of metal to pure shoegazing . The music on the album is compared to Cocteau Twins , Slowdive , Sigur Rós and Mogwai . Musical comparisons were also made to This Will Destroy You and God Is an Astronaut .
Application and Success
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To promote the album, Alcest performed concerts in the United States , Canada , Mexico and several European countries as Opeth's special guest .
Shelter is the first album that made it to the official album charts in Germany. It got in at number 28 and stayed there for a week.
Press reviews
Shelter received mostly positive reviews in the German-language trade press. Anton Kostudis from the online platform Metal.de describes Shelter as a “remarkable, incredibly profound album.” Alcest continues to inspire after album number four. Despite the fact that the work is the "most digestible album" in the band's discography, Shelter still contains introverted and idiosyncratic fare for which the lackluster was already known in the past. Juliane Lüthy from Sonic Seducer added that Alcest deliver their own take on the Shoegaze on Shelter . " Dream-Pop -Perlen" abduct the listener to a place of retreat that offers protection and can point the right way in difficult times.
According to Hang Mei Le from Powermetal.de , it is the piece of Opale that forms the basis for the criticism from their own fan camp. In his review, too, the author admitted that he was initially disappointed with the album. After several hearings, however, his opinion could be positively changed. In summary, Le predicted that Alcest would offend some long-established fans with Shelter , but the duo could also gain new listeners from other latitudes. According to Thomas Pilgrim from Plattentests.de , the music on the album is reminiscent of Sigur Rós and Klimt in 1918 . An album like Kveikur by Sigur Rós “actually turns out to be harder than 'Shelter' in retrospect - provided that hardness can be a valid category within such unbounded spheres.” Nonetheless, the work turned out to be a deeply touching album that ended turn it up again with Délivrance and let “heavenly choirs meet a widescreen arrangement”. Valentin from Whiskey-soda.de is of the opinion that Alcest on Shelter has a slimmer sound compared to previous releases. Even in more intense passages, the duo does not abandon the lightweight construction principle. Although Shelter is now Alcest's fourth album, according to the critic it can also be seen as a debut, in which the listener is reminded according to every rule of art that “real security is to be sought beyond doors, walls and roofs . "
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Michelle Geslani: Consequence of Sound : Listen: Alcest's ethereal new opus, “Délivrance”
- ↑ Bram Teitelman: Metal Insider : Here's 10 minutes of Alcest at their shoegaze-y best
- ↑ Metal.de : Interview with Neige from Alcest
- ↑ Gregory Adams: Exclaim! : Alcest "Opals" (video)
- ↑ a b Mandy Malon: Rock Hard : Alcest release 'Opale' video from their upcoming 'Shelter' album
- ↑ a b Valentin Erning: Alcest - The free sea frees the mind. Whiskey-soda.de , archived from the original on August 22, 2018 .
- ↑ a b c d e Meredith Schmiedekamp: Rock Hard : The Charm of the Simple ( Memento of the original from September 10, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Alcest: Shelter .
- ↑ Album Review: ALCEST Shelter - Metal Injection ( en-US ) January 15, 2014.
- ↑ Shelter - Alcest | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic .
- ↑ Alcest | Biography & History | AllMusic .
- ↑ Alcest .
- ↑ a b Chart tracking: DE ( Memento of the original from September 9, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Bram Teitelman: Metal Insider : Alcest heading to North America
- ↑ Nicola Savic: Prog Sphere : OPETH and ALCEST Touring Europe This Fall
- ^ Anton Kostudis: Metal.de : Alcest - Shelter criticism
- ↑ Juliane Lüthy: Sonic Seducer : Alcest - Shelter Critique
- ↑ Hang Mai Le: Powermetal.de : Alcest - Shelter review
- ↑ Thomas Pilgrim: Plattentests.de : Alcest - Shelter criticism
- ↑ Valentin: Whiskey-soda.de : Alcest - Shelter Review ( Memento of the original from April 14, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
