By Miles Rochester
Mount Kimbie, referred to by Pitchfork as “genre vagabonds,” successfully drift into the realm of psychedelic post-rock with their recently released album: “The Sunset Violent.”
Formerly an electronic music duo who caught their break in the U.K.’s electronic underground, Mount Kimbie added two members — Andrea Balency-Béarn and Marc Pell — to transform itself into a band capable of delivering an acquired masterpiece. Without listening to a track, the audience can already feel the mood through the thoughtfully chaotic cover art. It depicts an abandoned car lopsided on the side of an interstate surrounded by cornstalk and clear skies with no sunset in sight, only the implications of a less than violent crash. It is an intriguing start to what promises to be a story worth telling.
In the opening track titled “The Trail,” the listening experience begins with electronic and psychedelic-y synths that sound like they could be sampled from a ’90s arcade. Soon enough, a grungy, heavily textured guitar and sporadic hats join in to set the scene of the genre. Right when you think words will arrive to give the created atmosphere some deeper meaning, the artists gently mislead you and instead give you satisfyingly smooth keys that almost feel too calm for the aggression they accompany. Then, finally but prematurely, a soft and almost spoken woman’s voice (Balency-Béarn) is introduced along with rock-inspired snares. Balency-Béarn’s introduction does not provide you with the meaning you desire but instead a feeling of unprecedented ease as she “ahh – ahs” through the chaos as if she’s running away from problems that distance cannot escape.
The themes of running away, relationships and being lost in thought dominate the nine-track record, most notably on the pre-release single “Dumb Guitar.” This song finds our woman vocalist depicting her longing for a summer lover singing, “Wake me up next summer man, I really should just think it out, I’m falling down another slope, it’s run away or turn it round.” The lyrics cut deep, reminding the listener of life’s dread and the forever-true sentiment of fight or flight, while simultaneously calming you with the soothing monotony of Balency-Béarn’s voice.
Her entrancing voice opens the seventh track as she recites to you the title in her speak-singing voice saying, “Fish braaain what do you think about,” while a gentle guitar plays along. Having only listened to the first ten seconds, one might be disillusioned, thinking ‘This track is oddly peaceful and quite out of place,’ but soon enough the guitar’s fuzzy filter kicks in and the subtle aggression that flows throughout the album becomes apparent. What makes “Fishbrain” and so many of the songs on “The Sunset Violent” so fascinating is the attention to detail in the production. In “Fishbrain,” this can be heard and seen through the combination of guitar and backing vocals. They are more than musical notes being played and sung, for they have programmed movement, jumping from ear to ear exactly when it feels right in perfect sync. If you are a geek for production and interesting frequencies, “Fishbrain” is the track for you.
While each track can stand alone with its beautiful blends of technical electronic production and nostalgic rock themes, a few standouts are: “Empty and Silent” (featuring King Krule), “Fishbrain,” “Dumb Guitar” (my personal favorite), and “Figure in the Surf.”
“The Sunset Violent” by Mount Kimbie is most likely not going to be an award-winning, record-breaking, stream-farming, venue-sell-outing, groupie-amassing album. But it is a fascinating record, with the capability of transporting you to another reality, one where it is okay to run away from inescapable fates and geek out about subtle production techniques.
The album is best experienced while driving at night, but I also recommend putting on a set of over-the-ear headphones and walking around campus pretending not to see your friends while gently bobbing your head.