Composer Reacts to Alcest - Percées De Lumière (REACTION & ANALYSIS)

Bryan reacts to and talks about his thoughts on Percées De Lumière
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[@johnwhite8847]

Just re-listened to this album this past weekend. Alcest is a hidden gem. Give Kodama a listen/ review sometime!

[@JacobNates]

He has reacted to Kodama!

[@TheAmazingARD]

Alcest is just so awesome! This entire album is a gem. The last song is a poem about the ocean (the name of which I can't pronounce), but is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. Alcest leans heavily shoegaze nowadays. They were primarily a black metal band early on, and have made that gradual transition through their discography.

[@moccles]

Perfect song. Probably heard it 100 times. Also one of my favourites to hear live.

[@hasanmolla8000]

Should've been Ecailles de Lune Pt. 2! DEFINITELY come back to that

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

I adore Alcest but I'm not sure I'd call "blackgaze" a "niche sub-genre" by this point. Deafheaven actually made it quite mainstream, with their album Sunbather making many music magazines' Top 10 lists for the year it came out. Alcest isn't nearly as well-known but I vastly prefer them. They can make some stunningly beautiful music, and it's all the more surprising to hear such harsh black metal shrieks emerging from such gorgeous textures. This track is from their second album, Écailles De Lune, which is probably my personal favorite, though back then they were at their most black metal. Some of their later albums (especially Shelter) went more towards the shoegaze/dream-pop element, and they've been pretty consistently excellent (though I was rather disappointed in their last release).

[@juhosuomi2551]

For blackgaze genre I think Alcest is more in the shoegaze end of the spectrum and Deafheaven, which is another big blackgaze band, is more in the black metal end. I still recommend listening something off Deafheaven's album Ordinary Corrupt Human Love like Canary Yellow or Honeycomb because I remember you listening to Sunbather and not being too much into it. But I think Ordinary Corrupt Human Love album is more approachable for the first listen and not so much black metal. For Alcest, all the do is great and so beautiful and dream-like. Les Voyages de L'ame is my favorite album from their discography.

[@RikiazGaming]

I saw a meme that actually summed up the full spectrum of Blackgaze nicely. Deafheaven is Blackgaze, Alcest is Blackgaze-gaze, and Wolves in the Throne Room is Black Blackgaze.

[@CriticalReactions]

Ohhh I remember listening to Deafheaven not that long ago and I can see how it would be the other side of the coin to Alcest. Really cool to be able to see that connection now.

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

@@RikiazGaming Never thought of Wolves in the Throne Room as blackgaze. When they started out they sound like the one black metal band that heard Weakling's Dead as Dreams and thought "yeah, somebody should really make more music like that." I don't think anything they've done has been as good as the Weakling album, but it's nice to have another band going after that style.

[@eliasbowen9382]

@@jonathanhenderson9422 that weakling album deserves more love

[@rodrigomachado5291]

Deafheaven is pure shit. 'Happy black metal', vomit-inducing. Alcest is genius, deafheaven is toxic waste.

[@Equilibrium2903]

Very sorry that I only now noticed this! I did not expect that you actually noted this band and song down which I suggested like a year ago. So happy to hear your thoughts on it. Neige is a freakin mastermind when it comes to composition. Alcest are an otherworldly experience live. If you in ANY way liked this on a personal level, check out his other stuff. Especially "Souvenirs D'Un Autre Monde". That will for sure show you the fusion of Shoe gaze and Black Metal.

[@UryneCayne]

I just stumbled on your “introducing the palace players” video yesterday and when I looked up this song to send a friend, here you are again! I dig your work man, easy click after a great first impression. Cheers!

[@driftwood2230]

Alcest is great, all albums are superb. I recommend you to check out "Eclosion" from the album Kodama, so good. Also, there is a beautiful "hidden gem" on the album Les voyages de l'âme called 'Faiseurs De Mondes', I would love to see you react to that one. I can also recommend another 'blackgaze band', Violet Cold, I recently found them and have not stopped listening since.

[@Sheys73]

So when are you going to check out ' Saor - Forgotten Paths ' ? ;) Neige from Alcest features on that song!

[@JacobNates]

I found this band from your reaction to Kodama! Immediately fell in love and became a top 5 band for me

[@Rain_power]

I love Alcest! Nice breakdown on this song! You should review Këkht Aräkh's Crystal off of the fantastic album Pale Swordsman. It makes really strong references to early black metal but puts a really interesting, even romantic and delicate, take on it.

[@thegrimner]

A part of the reason why i harped so much about giving you some roots to Black Metal was this. Not so much because of the genre in and of itself, and I was under little illusion you'd warm up to most of it, but rather because it would give you a much better appreciation of the many weird and unexpected ways the genre branches out. And in this case, the branching out is present right at the start, too, and I'll point again to Ulver's Bergtatt. I'd suspect you'd take an even bigger appreciation of a band like Agalloch now, which you werent negative about, but were still kinda thinking what to make of it when you first listened. That kind of is my favourite irony about Black Metal, I think: That a genre that started out as the ultimate expression of elitism an narrow mindedness and exclusionism became one of the most crosspolinated genres that in branching out as it did has something for almost everyone.

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

I feel like that "cross-pollination" is something that's occurred in most all metal genres: just look how many different directions death metal has gone in too. Now we have bands like Lorna Shore mixing death, black, symphonic, and metalcore together. I'm personally not a fan of most of the OG black metal bands (Emperor are an exception and one of my favorites), but I do love many of the bands that have taken black metal in a more progressive/avant-garde direction (Deathspell Omega is one example), or even with Alcest mixing it with shoegaze.

[@thegrimner]

@@jonathanhenderson9422 You're correct in that it spread to most metal genres, but I'd say that black metal and also to an extent the doom/death metal subgenres were ground zero for all that mixing and mashing. Ulver, Arcturus, In The Woods... Katatonia, Anathema, Dodheimsgard were all prime examples of bands who quite drastically changed their sound, and all within roughly 5-6 years of their debuts. Not to even mention the bands that already started out weird, like Beyond Dawn, Ved Buens Ende, Fleurity, Summoning, etc.Even Emperor were already doing something that wasn't really like anyone else when they started. This wasn't happening in death metal of that era, bands like Morbid Angel were, before 95 or 96, the extent of experimentation in the genre. Even Death, who pushed the genre's definition quite hard, were more about refining their sound as opposed to revolutionizing it. Bands like Akercocke or Opeth, when they came out, were already pretty influenced by that breaking of conventions and beneffited from it.

[@hamishwallace73]

Yes thank you!! I have been waiting for this for months!! You never fail!

[@pascalg16]

So I guess avant garde stuff this week. I have recommended Ved Buens Ende in the past. They are an avant garde metal band, with prominent jazz elements, and very theatrical vocals.

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

FYI, Sheogaze and Dream Pop are basically the same thing. The one difference (if there is any) is that shoegaze tends to use more distortion, but dream pop can be much lighter. Think the difference between My Bloody Valentine (sheogaze) vs Cocteau Twins (dream pop). Since Alcest are also using a lot of distortion most tend to classify it as shoegaze. I don't think it's a big deal either way.

[@CriticalReactions]

I knew I remembered something about them being similar, I didn't think they were pretty much two sides of the same coin though. Thanks for the reminder.

[@jeannettesimpson9778]

I really like this. Hints of The Cure and even echoes of Earthside. I will definitely be checking out more of their music. ETA currently listening to Live at Helfest 2017 and loving it. Also Protection & Perturbator Live 2019.

[@silenoz666]

When I heard this song live, all I could do was closing my eyes in order to feel the music in its entirety. It was almost mystical, specially in the guitar part near the end. Alcest is a band with an unique sound, and I love them for that.

[@aphelionvoid4491]

I strongly recommend Ved Buens Ende and Dodheimsgard, if you are looking for fringe and avantgarde genres. Especially Written In Waters and A Umbra Omega albums.

[@pascalg16]

Yes, Ved Buens Ende.

[@wolverine669]

Ved Buens Ende.... also it's continuation Virus. Laster has some similarities also

[@Kraakesolv]

Mmmmm, Written in Waters.

[@aphelionvoid4491]

@@Kraakesolv yeah Written in Waters and A Umbra Omega are two of my all time favourite albums.

[@Brendo2386]

That whole scene of avant garde black metal out of Norway at the time is amazing. Fleurety's album Min Tid Skal Komme is a personal favourite

[@noisypinkbubble875]

I cannot recommend Alcest highly enough. I'm not a vinyl collector or listener, but I have the collector's vinyl of this album because it's in my top favorites. Their music is beyond gorgeous. The title track from this record is beautiful (both parts). Also any track from their next album after this is a good pick too.

[@carlossalinas7008]

Alcest is really something else, the music is so touching, specially on the kodama album. You should definatly checkout a band called FEN, their album Carrion Skies is a master piece.

[@StevezieMTB]

Man you should check out Violet Cold - Anomie, more on the black metal side musically but both dark and also so uplifting at the same time I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

[@yunusemrekarabacak8539]

Yeah i second on that and Noir Kid is even more interesting than Anomie. He is great at mashup genres into his music.

[@StevezieMTB]

@@yunusemrekarabacak8539 yes he doesn't have a single bad album

[@MaaZeus]

@@StevezieMTB Never got into Anomie but Kosmik and Noir Kid are one of my favourite Post Black/Blackgaze albums ever. He strikes a perfect balance of being dreamy without being soft like Alcest but also not being too much on the black metal side.

[@jaspin555]

Knocked loose - a tear in the fabric of life! You have to see the whole EP video.

[@NomadicBloke1]

The vibe of this song is melancholy satisfying, feels like crying and being relieved. lol

[@Azabaxe80]

"Percées de Lumière" is a remarkable piece of music. Black metal enveIoped in a sort of pop structure with shoegaze effects thrown in there for good measure. I wouldn't say that Alcest are extraordinary musicians, but the concept here is extraordinary, and that is more than enough for me to make the music memorable.

[@keithmorrissey3848]

If you want another Alcest song id check out Oiseaux de proie. Also check out Mastodon - Capillarian Crest for something crazy that I can't pigeon hole for a genre.

[@michaelheintz1349]

Love Alcest, they remind me a lot of old Katatonia

[@janeg6759]

I liked this. Another band I've never heard of but willing to check out more. Thx.

[@kamal3002]

Møl is another good choice for this sub genre

[@ronbent]

Of the greatest of all time. You might dig some of the interviews I do, like the one I did with Alcest about this album, but about some other bands you might like too

[@MetalZoned]

In an interview I had read, he used a Marshall (I believe JCM800 if memory serves) with a chorus and reverb pedal on this album. I know on other albums he has used various fuzz pedals, and live has done two different guitar amps simultaneously. Like you said, it does not sound like normal metal distortion, and this is where the shoegaze elements come in tonally.

[@volvulusx5043]

Great vid, I think "Je suis d'ailleurs" is another exceptional song by this band, from their Kodama album. Hoping you'll check it out at some point!

[@Sina.Ghadimipour]

masterpiece

[@franklindistelzweig3728]

I’m a big Alcest fan but I’d argue Deafheaven is a better example of black gaze. Tracks like Violet off their debut are great examples. Alcest vocals fall more into the “suicidal” black metal genre less so traditional blackmetal.

[@TavitoCarbone]

MONO - Pure As Snow

[@cpfantastic5576]

The title track of this album is in two parts, each 9 minutes. That's where everything's at.

[@TheSepulphagist]

You gotta revisit Major Parkinson for this week's theme. They are extremely fringe. Check out Baseball!! Also another suggestion would by Sybreed. They're industrial electronic metal? Idk. Check out Flesh Doll for Sale or Ego Bypass Generator. Love your reviews keep it up!

[@yunusemrekarabacak8539]

Speaking of Niche work , i really wonder what your reaction would be for Lingua Ignota. Her last album is full of really interesting ideas. Great counterpoint , dissonance and vocal using and so on ..

[@CriticalReactions]

We'll have some Lingua Ignota coming up on Monday!

[@yunusemrekarabacak8539]

@@CriticalReactions amazing

[@ryanm.7147]

Alcest is so great

[@ckokomo808]

Hey Bryan! Wanted to recommend an album/song for you, either on your own or maybe the channel. The album is called Petrichor by Keor. My fav song is The Nest of Evil! It’s a hidden gem and I’d recommend a full playthrough to appreciate some of the story and motiffs he uses! Thanks! ✌🏽

[@CriticalReactions]

I don't think I've even seen the name Keor so I'm already intrigued.

[@ckokomo808]

@@CriticalReactions Sweet, we’ll whenever you get around to it- channel or not- let me know what you think!

[@viciousrich]

neige the lead singer used to be in peste noire

[@Kraakesolv]

Love, love that you go fringe. Keep it up!

[@CriticalReactions]

My community does a pretty good job of giving me stuff from all over the popularity spectrum. :)

[@Kraakesolv]

@@CriticalReactions I'm glad, there's so much interesting out there! And you do a wonderful job analyzing; I'm particularly impressed by the way you seem to remember the whole song after listening to it, how you are able to dive into it for 30 minutes to such depth. You're singular in this and I love you for it.

[@CriticalReactions]

I attribute "tags" to sections for easy recollection later. This could be a genre, a feeling, a vibe, and emotion, a tempo, a meter -- really anything that could define it in opposition to other sections. You can actually hear this when I describe song structure in some videos "first we had the 6/8 section, then the oppressive section, then the upbeat section, etc". This helps me recall larger ideas about each section such as tone, intent, or theme. This is sort of like creating a mnemonic device for remembering phrases or strings of numbers.

[@SanskarWagley]

if you liked Deafheaven, you'll like Alcest

[@bairnonessie]

Alcest reminds me a lot of agalloch, just the vocals are a bit more of an acquired taste.

[@basicguy5785]

I honestly think you are using a random title generator for your videos.

[@sombrehero3738]

Alcest black metal? Absolutely not. Ever. It's more post metal and a little "doom".

[@Grisu.]

its blackgaze dude.