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30 Les Modules Etranges Les Modules Etranges
30
photo by Emmanuel D’auzon photo by Cecylia Daily Cat
I couldn't help listening to it ever since.
Female vocals, strong lyrics and
punk/wave music... yes indeed, these
bands are like parents to our band.
What's the question again ? French
bands, yeah Warum Joe were great,
I think it was more a matter of records
labels like V.i.s.a, the whole catalog
is just stunning, legendary bands like
Clair Obscur, Berurier Noir or Lucrate
Milk (and many others). I think the situation
in France was very specific,
we didn't talk about punk nor goth at
the time, it was just 'alternative rock'
with a constellation of influences, from
goth to punk mixed with dub or noise.
It wasn’t a matter of putting labels on
music and bands... at all, and attitude
was really important. Someone who
has seen or heard about what was
going on at the time can be really disappointed
about what this whole scene
has become. Now it's the internet
thing, posers and everything. Not very
exciting. But there's still hope.
I really dig Die Bunker, and Laid
Thénardier, but these bands made
only a few records. Norma Loy were
pretty known at the time, I saw them
on local TV, they scared the shit out
of me, really.
Xie: -As I understood, band members
have noise/industrial backgrounds.
Does this somehow affect on songwriting
process?
Jenn: Actually only I (and Azia in a
lesser way) had previous musical experience,
our first two tracks ever
recorded were heavily influenced by
THROBBING GRISTLE and power
electronics, but it was only a sequel
of our previous project also involving
my long time friend WEHWALT, but
then we decided to go our own way.
The general feedback on our noise
work was very very harsh, people were
bashing the band in a very gruesome
way but we didn't really care because
we weren't looking for any kind of popularity.
Looking back to this era
(2006/2007) I think we were more interested
in expelling our frustrations
through pure noise than showing our
supposed musical talent. I think now
that we were self-righteous and not
really concerned by music, but the attitude
was there. Now that we are, with
LME, more self-confident, we can put
some noise here and there, and anyway
my guitar always sounds very distorted,
a real bloody mess for live sound
engineers, causing arguments with
them, or for the most clever of them
entire gigs with the guitar sound almost
mute in the mixing desk because of
the feedback on stage. I'm not exactly
good friend with sound engineers anyway,
when they come to me and talk
to me about auditive strain I have a
bad feeling about the rest of the gig.
It's hard to make them understand that
I don't give a fuck about auditive strain,
I went to power electronics and punk
gigs (or was it the Swans and My
Bloody Valentine's wall of noise ?) and
it pleased me so much that I nearly
came in my pants, so I'm definitely not
in good terms with these sound guys
who have learned at school how a guitar
must sound on stage.
Xie: -I saw you've covered Jefferson
Airplane and (in)famous song "Gloomy
Les Modules Etranges –
Turmoil
album review
Label: 7th Crow
Records
Format: CD
Year: 2011
Here it is –
the third album by
French band Les
M o d u l e s
Etranges, called
“Turmoil” – and it’s
the case when the name reflects the content
brightly. Ten highly energetic songs, believe
me, you will find no ballad here, sung by desperate
voice of Azia, sung?.. or it’s better to
say shouted, because it’s not “singing” as we
mean it. Glimpses of something experimental
are here and there, for example the final “Source
Of All Evil” is easy to divide in two parts – first
will delight the ears of any modern goth fan,
and second will do the same with more avantgarde
crowd. “Mental Pop-Up” ends in forty
seconds of noise, and drums in “TNX” make
wonder if they are from d’n’b? Anyway, if we
go for something more traditional – “Suzie’s In
Between” is a good decoration of any goth
party, it’s the most accessible song on the
album and even somehow reminds of… “Jingle
Bells”. Besides, other songs seem just similar
– that’s the main disadvantage of the album.
It’s simply good deathrock, gothrock, with “strangling”
sound (at least, for me).
Some words about lyrical themes: consumerism
(“A good citizen”, aforementioned
“Mental Pop-Up”), bad relationship (“Ease your
life”), famous murder case (“Black Dahlia”),
etcetera. Why I was wondering about absence
of ballads?..
To sum up: it’s an album hard to “befriend”,
but if you do – you will be delighted, even
despite the fact that these ten songs are ten
bursts of energy and anger, no more, no less.
Anna “Xie” Slascheva
‘Grave Jibes Fanzine’