"Kodama" is the transcription of the Japanese word "tree spirit" (木霊 or 木魂) or "echo" (こだま).
"Kodama" the fifth album from Blackgaze pioneers, Alcest, marks the French duo's ferocious return to the stylistic maximalism of its early albums while continuing the band's relentless pursuit for new sounds and fresh ideas.
"Kodama" is the Japanese word for 'tree spirit' and 'echo' and from the album's structure and dynamics to its cinematic sound, "Kodama" indeed 'echoes' Alcest's 2010 classic, "Écailles De Lune". But this is no simple back-to-the-roots album: the band has more punch, rhythm and organic feel than ever before. While clearly influenced by bands like The Smashing Pumpkins, Tool, Dinosaur Jr, Grimes and The Cure, "Kodama" ultimately reveals itself as Alcest's 'Japanese album', drawing substantial inspiration from Japanese art and culture.
Originally triggered by Hayao Miyazaki's anime film "Princess Mononoke", "Kodama" picks up on the fate of its protagonist and, at its core, deals with the sensation of not belonging; of living in between worlds, be it city and nature or the physical and spiritual one. Duality is also crucial for the visual approach of the album, realized by French graphic designer duo Førtifem. Paying tribute to Japanese illustrators like Takato Yamamoto, the visuals portray contrasting elements like nature/urbanity, youth/death, femininity/animality and combine poetic elements with darker ones that were not present in Alcest's earlier works.
By giving the album a cultural, stylistic and compositional narrative, Neige and Winterhalter keep "Kodama" from just being the latest improvement on the Alcest sound and instead make the album a most rare and exciting thing: a vital, relevant record from a pioneer that not only upholds the band's trailblazing legacy but actually makes you want to see where they go next.
Blackgaze has been one of the most controversial subgenres to have come about in the metal underground in the past decade or so. Bands like Deafheaven have been criticised by many over the years for their music’s tenuous relation to more orthodox black metal. Yet it’s those key differences that make the style as interesting as it is, with bands going for an ethereal and almost beautiful sound instead of the cold and harsh feel of normal black metal. Alcest is one of blackgaze’s forefathers, with their music spanning the better part of the last two decades. From the more black metal styled leanings of Souvenirs d’un autre monde to the full on shoegaze of Shelter, they’ve explored many different aspects of their sound through the years, to great success. 2016’s Kodama was a return to blackgaze after Shelter and is undoubtedly the band’s best work to date, and the culmination of almost a decade’s worth of experience.
The album is nothing short of fantastic, with every track ebbing and flowing effortlessly between sections in an entrancing way. Neige and Winterhalter take us through this beautifully melancholic journey during this album’s 42-minute runtime and manage to keep things engaging throughout, never missing a beat. The instrumentation on this album is absolutely stunning, with Neige’s sublime riffs being supplemented by Winterhalter’s intricate drum patterns, which not only serve as the rhythmic backbone of the album, but also add another layer of atmosphere to the proceedings. Each and every song here has something worth writing about, and if I were to describe every section in full detail I could be here all day. From the beautiful buildups and releases of the title track, to the leads and transitions of “Oiseaux de proie”, every song here is full of its own standout moments that are simply pure bliss.
The production of the album is one of the reasons it’s as beautiful as it is, everything sounds so clean. The guitars have an ethereal sound, supported by the bass adding more texture, while the drums are light and unobtrusive, yet maintain their percussive quality. The mixing is also excellent, with every instrument being audible at all times, resulting in a full sound that enhances the album’s dreamy and trance-like feel. The lyrics here, sung in French, deal with one’s inner being, as well as feelings of estrangement and disassociation. All that is delivered by Neige in a mixture of high-pitched black metal shrieks and mesmerizing cleans, which contrast each other nicely and add some more variety to the mix. Now, while I love this album a lot, there is one minor complaint I have with it: it could be longer. As I was listening to it in preparation for this review, I found myself thinking “Man, is it really over already?”. I would have loved to see tracks like “Untouched” and “Onyx” developed further. While this album is 42-minutes of killer material, I wouldn’t have minded it being 50-minutes or 1-hour worth of it instead.
Kodama is beautiful. It’s an album that I will forever enjoy and appreciate, and in my opinion highlights what blackgaze can truly be. It goes beyond merely sounding like a happy black metal album and turns into something unique and fantastical. It’s an album I would recommend to both fans and critics of the style, as it flawlessly melds the two genres and creates something spectacular.
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