Arther - Arther Album Review (2008)

French bands are like buses...After Nelson, now Arther, who are thankfully much much better. This is such a wonderful album - a great blend of guitar driven indie and folk with no electronics. So it's strange that the band are labelled as the new Portishead. I noticed this band on AltSounds - at first I thought it was a solo artist. After checking out the MySpace page, I grabbed the album to review.

The review:

Every so often bands appear from nowhere and take you completely by surprise. The idea of a 'French Portishead' who quote influences like Radiohead and Smashing Pumpkins does very little to inspire confidence. It is a prospect to approach carefully with feelings of curiosity and dread. But with a singer (the eloquent Juliette) who is not as much like Beth Gibbons as she thinks and a wonderful guitarist (Alex), Arther generate a sound which transcends any immediate influences. On the surface the eponymous titled album appears to be a constant confusion of styles and sounds. This could not be further from the truth.

The album is a delight from start to finish, opening with an impressive trio of songs ending with the sublime 'Ghost Of My Mind'. The delicate soft vocals and jangling percussion make way for a simple arrangement. The second chorus comes complete with spooky backing vocals. The guitars are prominent throughout but excel at the end. Prior to this, opener 'Totally Out' is the only in-your-face pop song. If you excuse the cheesy 'pigeon cooing' backing vocals on the chorus, everything else works, especially the guitar arrangement; the contrast of light and heavy. It nearly goes astray near the end but comes back quickly with the melody and then into a buzz saw finish. 'TV Show' is just as good with a more complex mix of guitars and vocals. Juliette veers into wailing and the music gets muddy but it all holds together. The slightly clumsy vocal delivery of "I'm feeding your souls with my TV shows", as a manic anti-media evangelist, only adds to the charm. The only real disappointment is a limp ending.

The rest of the album steers the same course and maintains a high standard. 'Raining On Me' has another great combination of guitars and vocals. The basic chorus blends perfectly with the more complex music and it is all very reminiscent of The Cranberries. The song threatens a transformation with a minute to go with a brief guitar break but what emerges is more of the same. 'Insensible Mind' is the closest comparison to Portishead but is a lot more organic with just about everything: starting with quiet vocals and slow drums, into heavy bass and wailing, to some great use of stereo as the guitars glide from left to right and back again. The song is filled with interesting twists and turns including a thrash ending. Wonderful.

'Ederlezi' is the only song on the album without English vocals even though it sounds like an old English folk song. But the lyrics are not French either, they are Romany. This is a wonderful traditional Roma song, the name of which is translated as the Serbian feast of Saint George (hence the English connection). The basis of the song is a celebration of family and seems to involve sacrificing sheep. In the Roma language, the gorgeous vocal arrangement is most prominent. A real surprise.

Even after such a high quality start, Arther stay consistent and compelling right to the last note. The final two songs 'Take Me Out' and 'I Do' are both impressive. The former has another exquisite guitar and vocal opening and some great lyrics: "Cry me an ocean my love, so I take my time and swim about...". The chorus is filled with grinding heavy guitars. With two minutes to go, just as the song is starting to get too long, a gorgeous melody returns before more heavy guitars and bass and a bizarre juxtaposition of tunefulness and squealing. The closing track could be country rock - the excellent guitars again at the core. They never get too heavy this time. If anything it is the drums and cymbals which are too invasive. It is always said, 'when you go away, leave them wanting more' but as the messy fade starts, you can't help thinking it could be a lot longer.

'Arther' is not just a great album because it is unexpected. Great care and thought has been taken in fusing vocals with guitars but also the entire ensemble. The only fault is the production as too often the percussion is too loud and sharp in the mix. It would benefit from a more blended approach. But this is a minor fault. Juliette's vocals are brilliant, even when she drifts too far into falsetto. The songs do not always have an immediate hold; it is the distinctive sound - just the right blend of influence and styles - that is impressive. Juliette sings in a lovely English, tinged with a thick French accent, adding to the band's overall appeal. All of this makes Arther the most interesting and talented French band in a very long time.

-- CS (for Altsounds)