There’s a little post-rock influence here and there, but Shelter is essentially an attempt to move the Alcest sound (which had remained fairly static of late) forward, or at least sideways, and pay respects to the likes of Slowdive, Ride and My Bloody Valentine.
Shelter resounds with a vibrant glow. Where prior Alcest records were at their roots mostly somber affairs, Shelter is awash in a virginal innocence that permeates every note with a rapturous warmth.
Though Alcest have left the majority of their metal signifiers behind, they've discovered another kind of heaviness via gorgeous, shimmering melodies.
The whole thing soars like a mushroom cloud, and also its stupefying beauty might bring to mind a formative shrooms experience.
Shelter ekes out the melancholic tinge of their earlier works, squeezing out the blackness in favour of a contemplative gauzy shoegaze that’s less of a euphoric M83 vein and more a nod to ‘90s college rock with its acoustic strums and gentle drums. Frankly, it’s a bit of a corker.
What you hold in your hand is a typical shoegaze/post-rock album that, while beautifully constructed and breathlessly blissful, doesn’t recreate the same level of escapism for the listener that rendered Alcest’s past works so overwhelming and otherworldly.
The fluffiness rarely feels formless or meandering – the songs are effortlessly pleasant even when they threaten to dissolve into the ether like the woolly memory of a sweet dream receding into your subconscious.
In Shelter, Alcest evoke a sense of true belonging and of finding peace with the self and in the knowledge that there is more to be found. Bliss.
Shelter is the first great album of 2014.
It's a gorgeous-sounding record, almost perfectly paced and balanced. Even in its self-conscious worship of shoegaze it could easily become a late addition in that genre's canon. Shelter is expertly crafted, inspired, vulnerable, and honest.
The French outfit’s fourth full-length is a statement of soft-spoken apostasy that’s unflinching in its resolve. And somewhat less than stellar in its execution.
Previous records felt like the band both fighting against and trying to find a balance between two competing musical instincts while Shelter is the group going autopilot and completely giving over to one side of the equation.
Délivrance and Into The Waves (bonus track) bring me to tears and make me reminisce on the old times running across the grass as a kid, when everything was okay. Opale shines a bright sunbeam at me filled with euphoria, providing hope, yet also a tad bit of sadness disguised in nostalgia. La Nuit Marche Avec Moi provides Shelter for my shattered heart. This might not be their best album, but it most definitely has some of the band's most beautiful and stunning moments.
I love how they ... read more
Progressive dream pop more than it is "shoegaze", the French group Alcest showcases some powerful melodies and breakdowns. Setting it apart is not its poppy sound, paralleled by the dreamy vocals, but its stand-out tonality. Most shoegaze is the opposite, atmospheric in its noise that drowns out life. This album also sweeps the listener up into a haven of sound, but in the opposite way.
Alcest always focused more on the shoegaze, rather than the black metal sides of blackgaze, but on Shelter they basically make a straight up shoegaze album. This wouldn't normally be a big deal, but the problem is that on Alcest's other records, they didn't have any of the beauty, the interesting textures, or the vocals to do shoegaze. Instead of improving upon those weaknesses though, Alcest continues to make music without any guitar effects, lifeless singing, no elegance, and this time they ... read more
Feels like a bit of a misstep when compared to their other stuff. One day I'll revisit when the rest of their discography isn't as fresh in my mind.
All you dang snowflakes!!!! Imagine listening to soy, tame, timid crap like whatever the heck this Alcest album is instead of REAL music like Burzum and Peste Noire!!! Imagine listening to fake sell out music, like you call this metal??!?! This ain't metal shit!!!! Imagine not being able to say the f-word, because I can say it!
Fuck!
I can say the f-word again, snowflakes!
Fuck!
(Luci (me) still has zero shame whatsoever after writing this review. Zero shame lmfao)
Alcest's fourth album, "Shelter" is ethereal, intriguing, and powerful with the intention of being something totally unexpected and different from what the band normally does. For this album, they have leaned heavily into shoegaze and dabbled in dream pop. Their usual blackgaze sound is basically non-existent this time around. The intro "Wings" and "Opale" are my favorite tracks on the album. The subsequent tracks keep the momentum going and are all very consistent ... read more
1 | Wings 1:32 | 86 |
2 | Opale 4:56 | 95 |
3 | La Nuit Marche Avec Moi 4:58 | 91 |
4 | Voix Sereines 6:43 | 90 |
5 | L'éveil des Muses 6:49 | 84 |
6 | Shelter 5:29 | 84 |
7 | Away 5:02 | 85 |
8 | Délivrance 10:05 | 95 |