Compared to my last review, this one is for a band that aren't very well known, at least not in the UK, but after listening to the album 'Piano Ombre', I have high hopes for the future of François and the Atlas Mountains (the cool name had me intrigued from the start!)
I discovered this band when my friends and I were at Benicassim Festival in Spain a few weeks ago, as a last minute option we went to the smaller stage before Lily Allen was headlining.. and what a great decision that was! Admittedly, I wasn't expecting much from a niche British/French band but I was so pleasantly surprised with their brilliant stage presence and the way their energy radiated onto the crowd. I was also confused as to why it was only us and about 10 other people watching them, and as much as us and the 10 other people were clearly having the time of our lives I couldn't help but notice how the band also recognised the lack of people there. However, what I loved was that they still put their all into the performance and interacted so well with us. The best part was seeing their synchronised dancing whilst playing the guitar and the lead singer's (François Marry) dancing and jumping around the stage as we all did the same in front of him.
As soon as I got home I researched them and had this album 'Piano Ombre' on repeat, I recognised a similarity between Alt-J and them, almost like a French Alt-J. Each song falls into a different genre or has elements of different genres infused within it but they are predominantly driven by Indie-Pop/Rock. This might just be because I saw them in Summer but I feel that this album definitely has a summery sound to it, especially with one of my favourite tracks 'Summer of a Heart' (listen below). The inclusion of trumpets, electronic sound effects and African style rhythms also gives it more reason to be listened to in the warmth of the sun. My two other favourite songs are La Vérité and The Way to The Forest, for some reason I feel a sense of nostalgia with this album as if each song could remind you of happy memory from when you were younger. That's why I find this album so easy to listen to and overall a feel good album which you can rely on to cheer you up with a good head nod and singalong (by singalong I mean that I replace the French words with odd sounds in an attempt to speak French).
The slower tracks are still pleasing for the ears as Francois' smooth voice and French lingo run like melted chocolate with the flow of the catchy piano riff and strings, for example 'La Fille Aux Cheveux de Soie'. However, if you're not paying too much attention when listening to the album and using it as background music, each song can tend to run into one another and lack individuality but this doesn't effect it from being an enjoyable album that in my opinion needs more recognition.
The slower tracks are still pleasing for the ears as Francois' smooth voice and French lingo run like melted chocolate with the flow of the catchy piano riff and strings, for example 'La Fille Aux Cheveux de Soie'. However, if you're not paying too much attention when listening to the album and using it as background music, each song can tend to run into one another and lack individuality but this doesn't effect it from being an enjoyable album that in my opinion needs more recognition.
Hannah Jolley
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