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Alcest to Release Kodama Sept. 30; Preorders Available Now

alcest

I remain intrigued at the prospect of an Alcest album that even the band seems to position as a return to form, if not in such direct language, as they’ve never done anything in their career that wasn’t a move forward from where they were previously and one wonders what lessons they’ll incorporate from their last outing, 2014’s Shelter (review here), as they make their way back to the post-black metal aesthetic they — as their label, Prophecy Productions, rightly asserts — helped to pioneer in their earlier work. I dug Shelter in part for the bold step away from that that it represented, but it seemed like much of their audience was missing the lush, textured emotionalism. We’ll see where their fifth album, Kodama, ends up upon its Sept. 30 release.

The band posted the artwork and tracklisting and Prophecy has preorders up now for worldwide shipping, so if you want to get in on it, you can indeed get in on it. Here goes:

alcest kodama

We are really excited to announce that our new album “Kodama” will be out on September 30th through Prophecy Productions.

“Kodama” is the Japanese word for both “tree spirit” and “echo”. The artwork has been done by the French duo Førtifem.

Tracklist :
– Kodama
– Eclosion
– Je suis d’ailleurs
– Untouched
– Oiseaux de proie
– Onyx

Pre-order:
World: http://en.prophecy.de/artists/alcest/
US: http://us.prophecy.de/artists/alcest/

“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.

Available editions:
– CD digipak with die-cut sleeve
– LP (33rpm) on heavy-weight 180g black virgin vinyl
– 2CD hardcover book (36 pages with lyrics, elaborate liner notes by Neige, Winterhalter and Fortifem, translations of the lyrics, ca. 18x18cm) incl. bonus CD with bonus track “Notre Sang Et Nos Penseées”
– Deluxe 3LP box (45rpm) with vinyl etching, 6 art prints and lyric sheet; ltd. to 777 copies, split to: 200x black vinyl, 200x clear vinyl, 200x clear/black marble vinyl, 177x magenta/black marble vinyl (exclusive to the Prophecy online shop!)
– “Complete Kodama Box”: 4LPs (45rpm) incl. vinyl etching and bonus track “Notre Sang Et Nos Penseées”, 2CD hardcover book (36 pages with lyrics, elaborate liner notes by Neige, Winterhalter and Fortifem, translations of the lyrics, ca. 18x18cm) incl. bonus CD with bonus track “Notre Sang Et Nos Penseées”, 6 art prints and certificate; ltd. to 777 copies, split to: 200x black vinyl, 200x clear vinyl, 200x clear/black marble vinyl, 177x magenta/black marble vinyl (exclusive to the Prophecy online shop!)

https://www.facebook.com/alcest.official/
https://twitter.com/Alcestofficial
http://www.alcest-music.com/

Alcest, “Opale” Live in NYC, Sept. 22, 2015

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