Lesoir - Latitude [CD]

2017 release. Many bands create beautiful pictures: wonderful colors, elaborate motives and impressive shades of emotion, all in an inspired framework. However, that step is merely the beginning for Lesoir, because on this album they aim for the bigger picture. Many pieces of art are limited by measurements, norms and formats - that is not the case with Latitude. For instance, Da Vinci's Mona Lisa is certainly impressive as she is, so how spectacular must it have been to really get to experience that mysterious woman? That is a good way to describe the relation between Latitude and common art rock albums. Compared to previous albums, this time Lesoir have put much more focus on a progressive artistic direction that prioritizes melody over blunt rage. More than ever there is a clear, both experimental as well as ambitious, balance between lyrics, melody, groove and explosive dynamics. For instance, during the mixing process for Latitude there was the imperative intention of giving the music space to breathe. In that context, having a wizard like John Cornfield behind the soundboard certainly came in more than handy. Among other multiple other achievements, Cornfield is the man responsible for Muse's legendary sound on the Absolution album. The artfully structured soundscape is also a major contribution in the formation of the precisely defined and multilayered reliefs that translate the lyrical content into the three-dimensional art form. Be it climate change, mankind's role on this planet or the bloodcurdling story of friend of the band and survivor of the Bataclan terror attack Ferry Zandvliet: Lesoir fuse the beauty of melancholy with a rugged maliciousness of an unforgiving wasteland. The result is music that is as impressive as it is touching.