A DARKER SHADE OF GREY...
July 2002
LUMIERE - EP
Lumiere is a relatively new five-piece band - a welcome
addition to the mere handful of alternative bands based in Malta - and
one that was practically received with the burdening tag of being
pigeonholed within the Radiohead niche. While the band itself is very
keen to shake off this tag, it is difficult not to picture Thom Yorke’s
pained passion when listening to Lumiere’s self-titled debut E.P. For
one thing, the intro track alone reeks of Kid A, although chances are
that so will any other track that is played backwards, so perhaps it
isn’t so much a Radiohead thing after all!
Similar influences, however, do spring to mind again as the second song,
E.D. - incidentally also a staple feature of their live sets - fades in,
but here the band reflects other influences, albeit still expressly
tilted towards experimental territory. The vocal effects add to the
song’s restrained energy, with the result coming across with the
melancholic drive of Stipe meets Ian Curtis meets early Floyd.
Situation Vacant and Aftertaste are evidently this E.P.’s best songs,
defining Lumiere’s most intense musical moments, sharing common factors
yet dispersing in different directions. Listening to these two songs was
like sifting through the soundtrack of my teenage years, largely defined
by the ethereal sound of indie rock that bands like Cocteau Twins or
Dead Can Dance thankfully recorded safely away from the grabbing
clutches of the mainstream. On these two songs, Lumiere capture
essential droplets of that pioneering magic, twinning it with vocal
interjections that hint at several singers all at once - Brett Anderson,
Morrissey, and yes, Thom Yorke, are a few that spring to mind - but
never actually sounding quite like any particular one of them. If music
could be expressed in colours, Lumiere’s would probably be a perpetual
grey, tainted with sporadic blurs of blue hope round the edges!
The closing track, Sitting Still, weaves its way around an acoustic
strum, lulling at best, and acutely reflective of the (quasi) post-rock
direction that Lumiere seem to be (sub)consciously focused on throughout
this E.P. Given that these songs were recorded in a home studio and
self-produced by the band, the quality is impressive, and one can only
hope that they will re-record a couple (Aftertaste is a must) in a
professional studio.
Recommended weblink: www.lumieremusic.com
