2nd Life
Self-Released, 2023
8/10
The guitarist and vocalist Arnaud Quevedo brings along plenty of company for these 8 fusion friendly tracks that are as unpredictable as they are exciting.
“2nd Life Part 1: Awakening” opens the listen soft and mesmerizing, before Marin Michelat’s fluid keys and Eloise Baleynaud’s soaring voice guide the lush, prog-rock climate, and “Any 2.0” follows with Quevado’s dreamy guitar amid Lucille Mille’s pretty flute, as Anthony Raynal’s diverse drumming suits the calm versus dense moments.
The controlled chaos of “2nd Life Part 2: Journey” arrives at the halfway point, and is both hard hitting and melodic thanks to Noe Russell’s precise bass and crunchy guitars, while “No Soy Breton” flirts with jazz ideas via the pretty singing and bright sax from Julien Gomila.
The last two tracks, “2nd Life Part 3: Inner Demons” and “2nd Life Part 4: Hindsights”, are equally meticulous, where the former pairs the stunning rhythm section with expressive, wordless vocals, and the latter spends 8+ minutes enthralling us with Eva Tribolles’ moody double bass and the crunchy guitars that bridge firmness with beauty.
An emotive and atmospheric effort that takes an iconoclastic approach to rhythm, 2nd Life takes the listener on a fascinating journey that’s quite captivating.
Travels well with: Kurt Michaels- Stones From The Garden; Fortunato- From High Above