Ektöristan
Bitume, 2024
9/10
The French quartet Ektör pen a highly unclassifiable listen, where experimental and droning ideas unfold with an artistic and harmonic quality.
“L’odyssée” opens with banging keys from Guillaume Flamen and a rumbling backdrop, where Guillaume Ringwald’s pretty voice guides the melodic versus abrasive contrast, and “Beluga” follows with Alain Jacquemin’s playful programming, as Flamen’s deep pipes add some mystery.
The middle track belongs to “N’Kunter”, where soft waves flow with intimacy in the rhythmic landscape, while “Vienhavek” carries a cinematic quality via the buzzing keys and chugging guitars for firm, metallic bursts.
The title track resides near the end and is full of piano beauty that builds into a tense rocker that’s kind of spacey, definitely turbulent and packed with soaring vocals, and “Gobe” exits with lush and pretty post-rock ideas that fade out with a sublime delivery.
An eclectic body of work that uses grunge, metal and punk amid the often tuneful textures, there is just nothing typical about this record and it sure is refreshing.
Travels well with: Onioroshi- Shrine; The Shadow’s Gone Out- John Doe/Final Alarm