Culture

Parisian musician to tour China

( chinadaily.com.cn ) Updated: 2016-03-03 16:09:35

On Mirages, Lefeuvre sings for the first time in his life. His deep voice supports Phoene's to create a new entity on the chorus, a strange ghost charged with emotion. Then comes the impact of Météores, with its heavy piano chords slowly melting into the sound of the Mellotron and finishing in something akin to a tropical storm.

"I like to form something using several instruments, but I try not to modify the sounds that I use."

On Volcano we can see that Saycet has also lost a lot of its naivety. There is no longer a fear of frontally expressing a certain violence, with only the nostalgic vocals of Phoene to slightly soften the blow.

Half Awake was the first track that Lefeuvre wrote. On tour he will sing it himself, but for the album he used the deep, gruff voice of Yan Wagner:

"Yan is a crooner. He's Sinatra," Lefeuvre says.  Although the combination of the two sounds unlikely, it actually has a rare elegance to it.

After the lyrical Northern Lights, perfect calm returns in the form of Kananaskis, once again with soft vocals by Phoene. It's the perfect introduction to one of the album's high points - Cité Radieuse, homage to one of Le Corbusier's most famous buildings, and a place that Pierre Lefeuvre has been lucky enough to visit numerous times. Over the past four years he has discovered its architecture, and the building's rigour and strength echo through every part of the album. "I never thought that a building could move me in so many ways."

Mirage ends with Quiet Days, the last song sung by Phoene Somsavath, and Smiles from Thessaloniki, an epic number (the longest of the album) where Pierre manages to express his most intimate of feelings.

Free of its mentors, Saycet refuses to deliver the same old tired emotions. With Mirage it's as if Lefeuvre has dug a magical tunnel between him and us, in which runs a ghost train full of enchanting creatures, bathed in a dazzling light. He gives us clues for escaping his labyrinth, and it is up to us to use them.

On stage, Saycet's music is even more powerful, enriched by the video work of Zita Cochet who also uses abstract materials and textures. With Phoene Somsavath busy singing in Scotland, singer and violinist Louise Roam will join Pierre, adding her stellar tremolo to Saycet's live show. "Now I want to grab people's attention, perhaps by force," he says. Don't say we didn't warn you.

 
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