You already know what’s up, or at least have an inkling. You’re here because you’re at the very least curious what’s up with these tunes. So, then, let’s dispense with the formalities and cut right to it. L&S have a debut album coming up some time soon, and the title sounds as poetic as much as eerie — When the Vowels Fall. What’s the deal with that ominously succinct band name though? Well it seems to be a shortened version of the core members’ last names. That’s it, straightforward, with no strings attached.
L&S is helmed by Anthony Laguerre (Myotis, Praag), who is behind the compositional aspects of the music, alongside G.W. Sok (Oiseaux-Tempête, formerly The Ex), who lends his lyrical and vocal talent to the compositions. Although, L&S is a little more than that. They are joined by Jean-Michel Pires and Eric Thomas as well as conductor François Legrée leading the Orchestre du GAM from Nancy, France. I don’t know about you but this was the selling point for me, before I even heard the actual music.
So today, the band is premiering the first single from When the Vowels Fall through yours truly. “Utter Matter” is the title of said single, and it’s quite a surprising trip for a four and a half minute song. G.W. Sok has a few words to share about the lyrical content of the single:
“Utter Matter” is song is about, well, what can I say? Basically it is about: what can we say. Some thoughts about the freedom of speech… How we might get silenced by others, by circumstances, or perhaps even by ourselves. And yet, at times one has to speak out nevertheless, one way or another
The words sinuously blend around the evolving structure of the song, as everything opens up slowly. It’s a bit of a slow burner too, it takes its time to get wherever it’s going. You can definitely feel some of the tension of that idea building up there alongside the textures. The song itself adheres to some kind of rock format, but I really can’t come up with any apt description to make things more palpable. It’s all very evocative in a reserved, yet somehow dynamic manner. The vocal delivery sort of finds a middle ground between spoken word and singing, sitting firmly at the front of the mix, guiding the whole action, using the rest of the sonic atmosphere to create a vivid image. It’s really great and quite unique and you should absolutely listen to it.
I know for sure that I’m sold on the record and am very much looking forward to digging into its contents whenever it becomes available. L&S‘ new album When The Vowels Fall will see the light of day September 16 via Sérotine Records in France and Tractor Notown in the Netherlands. You can check out Anthony Laguerre and G.W. Sok by clicking their names right here.
