L'eclipse Nue — The Off Switch
The Off Switch, an 11 track album, is not this bands latest offering. Oddly it’s their fourth album, released in 2014, and has been overtaken by three other releases that I know of!
Moving on though, this album begins with the 1 minute track “Stretch Open Your Mouth” a mid to high pitched squall of noise with some vocals layered through it. This isn’t noise in it’s truest sense which means it should be interesting rather than off-putting: a new take on an old idea, or even something harsher or more brutal. Unfortunately it’s more off-putting. You expect a wall of noise to come crashing down around you, but instead you are led slowly and quite gently into track two “Phantom Signals”, which is both quiet and gentle.
When I think of Japanese Noise, I immediately think of Merzbow, Aube (r.i.p), Hijokaidan, C.C.C.C. and host of other artists. I expect a wall of noise. At the very least I expect several bricks and some concrete of noise and the wall to build as the album progresses and I relish the idea this might actually leave me a weakened and an utterly bereft chap when I’ve finished listening to it.
L’Eclipse Neu aren’t doing this, they are almost doing to Noise what James Last does to Classical music: easy bite size chunks of something akin to classical, without all that silly originality attached to it.
By tracks four and five this album has already worn thin, threadbare even. The sounds are empty - there’s no depth - and the vocals, although not distorted, are still utterly irrelevant and seem comical rather than sinister.
You could put this album on and go and make a cup of tea, you wouldn’t be pinned against the wall by the ferocity of the utter attonal nature of the sounds that should, by their very nature, destroy your hi-fi. This is noise-muzak: easy listening for the hard-LY hearing! (some of you might pick up that on that reference, I hope so anyway!).
A disappointing album and I do hope not an indicator for the albums that’s followed it in 2015-2017.