Elle PF's Third Opus is here
Indie Rockers Elle PF are becoming a bit of a fixture here at TML, with their previous album, "I Woke up Today Laughing" receiving our seal of approval, largely in part by the sheer variety and richness of its various parts.
But that was only a little over a year ago. What has changed since? How have they evolved in their sound, or what new proposal do they have in mind? With the umbrella label of 'alternative', you can go and sound like almost anything there is out there, but the band's own quirks and tendencies won't be going unnoticed in their newest 9-song release, "After The Snow".
Elle PF's 3rd studio album is described as a collection of 'old DIY recordings' that were written by frontwoman Renelle Labiche back when she began diving into production in her Minneapolis basement. Labiche shares: “The songs from my past are very personal and somewhat timeless in my heart. I continued to feel an emotional attachment to the music and lyrics...one that I could not quite let go of yet, so I decided to revisit them with my new band and refined production skills.”
This album follows an oblique trajectory from their sophomore release, opting for a much more experimental and digitally-labored sound that aims to capture far stranger soundscapes than ever before without sacrificing the warm, humane spark of their indie rock roots. "After The Snow" is never nominally comfortable in one single spot, reaching deep into the band's bag of tricks for some additional Pop "plasticity" that can better articulate the different fancies of each song.
Two particular feelings kept popping up during my repeated listening sessions: Reassurance and Nostalgia.
There's a very healthy sentimentalism to the lyrics, but it is in the palette of sounds where this really grows on you, as it could all very well be ancient Latin, and still, Labiche's soothing voice and the wistful, shimmering synths do more than a good job of pulling at your heartstrings with ease. Though there doesn't seem to be any real narrative arc to the songs, the opening minutes of "Now Or Never" (the first track) really do sell you on this sensation of a storm that's finally passed, the song -and the album- opens up with this cold, lonely piano and a somber drone that's a very stark contrast to anything I've heard from Elle PF before, however, a few minutes in, the dark blanket on the proverbial sky of the song starts breaking open, letting a few rays of sunshine come through and elevating the mood into a much more hopeful and upbeat situation.
All across the 9 tracks, you'll find yourself lingering in this weird interstice between melancholy and renewal. Songs like "Love Drifter", "Black And Blue" and the solemn string-heavy "Ghost" act like a soothing embrace that acknowledges the constant flurry of blows that life throws at you while simultaneously reminding you that none of them have bested you yet.
The album ends on a slow, spectral ballad of distant echoing snares. The titular 'After the Snow' drifts on and on in a dream-like journey to full awakening, with Ranelle's pixie-like vocals sweetly reminding you that "it's time to let go..." and perhaps, time to awaken as well.
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