Hailing from France the Dirty Shades upholds the country’s legacy of birthing powerful atmospheric rock. Their new album Stuck in Motion (Modulor Music) offers a post-Hardcore punch to the dynamics as their sound swirls around you. They step on the gas at a few points in the opening track “Cannon Fodder” to keep the dynamics varied. Lead singer Anouk Degrande is backed by shouted accents where she allows her voice to wander off the swells of the guitar. The bass line anchors the second track “Mine,” as the ambiance thickens to a palm-muted groove buried in the layers. They build the song up into a heavier punch not unlike how Tool once commanded dynamics during the nineties.
The guitar player is very tasteful, rather than shredding, he places more emphasis on using varied chord voicings. This is a subtle texture, even when the backing male vocals as angrier accents. “Left in Dust” simmers off a dreamy wanderlust, until they converge upon a more hammering dynamic and everything comes crashing into place. One of the album’s biggest surprises is when their bass player takes over the mic for “Secret Sound”. His pleading tenor is a break from The guy sings well enough. It’s a shift from Anouk’s subtle emotionally charged aggressive edge to her voice, and he shows a more vulnerable side to their sound. His singing style is more conventional and steers them into an almost poppier direction.
She returns to the mic for “Overdue Rage’. It has a stormy tension. The verses are restless, with the drums creating an almost jazzy feeling. The guitar delves into a more angular dissonance in the melodies it creates. Things swirl around you without a bass line to hold things down, as the bass player is jamming off the drummer. The last song opens with an emotive ambiance with her vocals at center stage as the band builds around her. The bass continues to excel at creeping up a groove to keep things moving. Like most of these songs, it builds a stormy climax that stomps with a harder grit.
They might have a formula for their jam-oriented hypnotic excursions, but keep you engaged every step of the way. They are heavy without being metal. Fans of vocal-oriented post-Rock will enjoy the moody vibes of this sonic journey the band embarks upon. To call this progressive might suggest they are flashy or showboat with odd time signatures, but that is not the case, however, they are not following rock traditions and have followed their path to great creative reward, so fans of music that carries heavy depth should give this one a spin.
Buy the album here:
https://dirtyshades.bandcamp.com/album/stuck-in-motion
8 / 10
WIL CIFER
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