Au Revoir Simone
Verses of Comfort, Assurance and Salvation (self-released)
By Kate Carolan-Reed
Published: September 7th, 2006 | 1:18pm
At the start of this debut, Au Revoir Simone nails bittersweet harmonies to the wall and pins them up with flower petals and drum loops. This all-girl Brooklyn-based trio isn’t reinventing Mozart here, but they certainly show what a few longhaired, leggy brunettes and a computer can do.
All mock chauvinism aside, Verses of Comfort, Assurance and Salvation eventually reminds us that in this digital age, amazing things can result from the beautiful blend of synthetic sounds and feminine vocals. Midway through this eight-song teaser, Au Revoir Simone leaves us lusting for more.
“Through the Backyards” starts the album out with sugar-sweet lyrics and haunting production. “Hurricanes” follows suit, but shows a more upbeat side. While these along with “The Disco Song” are kind of cute and catchy, they don’t do the rest of this gem any real justice.
Innovative musicianship is alive and well here, though one could argue it doesn’t really begin until “Back in Time”, “Where You Go,” or ironically the album-ender “Stay Golden”. Truth be told, most of this album is quite groundbreaking — if not for the intimate vocal layering than for the downright creative songwriting. A true dark beauty resides in the meat of this record (though true fans will likely embrace the more “carefree” tracks that commence it).
Verses of Comfort, Assurance and Salvation indeed provides what it promises, and leaves the listener truly wanting more. No doubt Au Revoir Simone will continue to remind us that women can be beautiful and musical, not to mention tech-savvy. 7
Issue #35
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