À boire et à manger

This one man band has evolved a lot since Vacuum, which was mostly a black metal outing with some piano interludes. Today, Pensees Nocturnes has become a much more neoclassical experimental black metal band, and the fifth installment, A Boire et a Manger (roughly meaning “to eat and drink,” which makes sense when seeing the cover art) shows a continuation of the style fully realised on Nom D’une Pipe!. For those pining for the days of the first two albums, look away, as you are likely to be disappointed in what’s on offer here, but for the rest of us, it’s another strange and interesting journey.

“Black Orleans Bump” kicks off the album in a fashion you would expect from Pensees Nocturnes now, filled with jazzy horns and ideas of early 20th century auditoriums before the more metal riffs are introduced. Rather than this light introduction serve as a pre-warning to what’s ahead, you will notice that on A Boire et a Manger the black metal is further diminished. “Le Rat des Gouts” does contain Vaerohn’s trademark howling vocals, but the instrumentation behind them is far more subdued, even when the aggression is amped up, particularly the blasting drums near the end of the track. This is not so much different to the music found on Nom D’une Pipe!, but here the black metal is further sacrificed in favour of the more experimental structure that Pensees Nocturnes has adopted of late. This may seem like disappointing news to some, but for those like me who have vastly enjoyed this output, this is music to my ears…pun intended!

This is not to say that the music found on A Boire et a Manger is completely void of passion or vigour – far from it. It’s just realised from a different angle. “La Marche de Travers,” for example, is actually quite a busy song, when it may appear on the surface it doesn’t seem like much is going on. Beneath the surface you will notice alternating atypical guitar riffs, intricate drumming, out-of-tune horn solo, and Vaerohn’s dual action of harsh shrieks and cleans. “Les Yeux Boiteux” is much the same, except here the use of horns and/or accordion increases, particularly in the first half. Or take “La Java Niaise,” a song that appears calmer in structure, but still has a lot going on through its run time. From the heavier, busier sections right down to the lighter, softer moments, it’s all played with a clear focus for the finished product. Both types bounce off each other very well.

While it doesn’t even bear mentioning, the instruments all work quite well together, despite the experimental nature of the music itself. The guitar riffs are not always the main feature of the album, but they provide the perfect backbone to everything else that’s happening here. Their melodic approach to all the riffs provided here accentuate the avant-garde leanings of the album, and the moods present. “Interlude Satierienne” contains fantastic melodies that drive the song forward, having it be anything but an interlude. The drumming is, once again, impeccable. There’s a lot of double bass work and the occasional blast beat, but even the straighter beats are played with conviction, showcasing a wide array of creativity. The bass guitar even gets times to shine, particularly in the interlude track aforementioned, but many places throughout the album, you will hear the bass poke its head through.

What makes this album shine most is how I am whisked away to a time where an old radio is playing jazz tunes, or I’m thinking about an old, darkened bar with live music, where men in suits go after work to drink scotch and smoke indoors, filling the room with a heavy smog but giving the place an ambiance that’s illegal these days. This imagination is mostly present during the softer sections of music, or when horns and melodic riffs intertwine wonderfully together. Lots of the musical arrangements appear to be inspired by jazz, and you could pick any number of examples, such as the opening to “La Java Niaise,” with a trombone and horn conveying an overt jazz/bouncy rhythm that introduces the meat of the song. And then take the beginning of “L’Helicon,” where Pensees Nocturnes just cuts out the middle man and takes a sample from a circus introduction. Vaerohn is certainly wearing his heart on his sleeve, making it very obvious of his musical direction.

In some ways, A Boire et a Manger is more accessible than Nom D’une Pipe! in that the black metal is further reduced to make way for more experimental and horizon-less music structures. And yet, in other ways, this is far less accessible in that the music is even more bizarre and so totally divorced from most other things you’re likely to hear. It all depends on how you feel about this, and whether you can handle such unordinary compositions, and also if only a small percentage of black metal bothers you. For me, personally, this is probably the follow-up I was expecting, which is a good thing. I would put this on the same level as the previous album, meaning there is still a lot to like here. A weird and engaging album. Well done, Vaerohn.