alternative rock
After two ambient albums, it's time for some distorted guitars again. For these, we go to France, where we meet Room Me, the alter ego of Anne-Sophie Remy. Remy has been active in the French rock scene for quite some time, as vocalist, bassist and violinist.
Under the moniker Room Me she recorded two EP's and on February 8 the full-length 'Anaon' will be unleashed. It's an emotional and strong alternative rock album. It's unpolished, raw and gritty, as if PJ Harvey and Chelsea Wolfe got together for an evening of composing and jamming.
The album opens with a rather harsh but slow track titled 'The Encounter'. The song immediately sets the tone. Room Me seems highly influenced by the aforementioned women and chooses that same uneasy and dark path. I like it that way and halfway through the first track I'm becoming a fan. To be honest, I'm always kinda uncertain about French music, mainly because of their accent when they're singing in English. Luckily, that is not an issue here, making it a lot easier to appreciate and enjoy the music.
'Happy Ending' raises the tempo a bit, something very few tracks on this album do. In fact, I can easily describe this mix between grunge, alternative rock and vintage hard rock as 'doom rock', not only because of the tempo but also because of the atmosphere. 'Memories' is another one of those defining tunes and would do very well in a live setting. There is something immersive about this song, a certain sing-along feeling.
'My Death' comes up with the violins, a bit like Therapy's version of 'Diane' but way more convincing and definitely better. This is a spooky song, one which to a certain extend brings Diamanda Galas to mind, without the exuberant vocal dissipations, obviously. It's followed by my favorite on this album, 'Death Smiles And Dances Are Gone'. This one is a lingering blues track, perhaps also inspired by post rock.
So, I have to admit, I had my doubts about this album at first. Being compared to PJ Harvey and Chelsea Wolfe are big shoes to fill but Room Me pulled it off. These are angsty doom rock tracks that every fan of the aforementioned women should add to their collection.
Serge
Under the moniker Room Me she recorded two EP's and on February 8 the full-length 'Anaon' will be unleashed. It's an emotional and strong alternative rock album. It's unpolished, raw and gritty, as if PJ Harvey and Chelsea Wolfe got together for an evening of composing and jamming.
The album opens with a rather harsh but slow track titled 'The Encounter'. The song immediately sets the tone. Room Me seems highly influenced by the aforementioned women and chooses that same uneasy and dark path. I like it that way and halfway through the first track I'm becoming a fan. To be honest, I'm always kinda uncertain about French music, mainly because of their accent when they're singing in English. Luckily, that is not an issue here, making it a lot easier to appreciate and enjoy the music.
'Happy Ending' raises the tempo a bit, something very few tracks on this album do. In fact, I can easily describe this mix between grunge, alternative rock and vintage hard rock as 'doom rock', not only because of the tempo but also because of the atmosphere. 'Memories' is another one of those defining tunes and would do very well in a live setting. There is something immersive about this song, a certain sing-along feeling.
'My Death' comes up with the violins, a bit like Therapy's version of 'Diane' but way more convincing and definitely better. This is a spooky song, one which to a certain extend brings Diamanda Galas to mind, without the exuberant vocal dissipations, obviously. It's followed by my favorite on this album, 'Death Smiles And Dances Are Gone'. This one is a lingering blues track, perhaps also inspired by post rock.
So, I have to admit, I had my doubts about this album at first. Being compared to PJ Harvey and Chelsea Wolfe are big shoes to fill but Room Me pulled it off. These are angsty doom rock tracks that every fan of the aforementioned women should add to their collection.
Serge
