Contributing once again to the burgeoning sub-genre of what can only be called forest techno, French artist Théo Le Vigoureux (known professionally as Fakear) has delivered his third album of richly textured and deeply rooted electronica, the strings- and flute-laden Everything Will Grow Again. It can be a bit busy and overbearing at times, with things chiming or being plucked from every direction while the strings surge on, but it generally works, and the sublime moments that arise from it all suggest the excess is perhaps an integral part of the equation.
Le Vigoureux certainly never met a flute he didn't like however, and, along with harps, chimes, strings, kalimbas, and various others, these organic instruments (with a clear emphasis on non-Western styles) really are the star of the show here, with any synths mostly bubbling away in the background — often with a nature soundscape thrown in for good measure. Le Vigoureux is able to coax some pretty effective big festival moments from these elements, similar to emotive, mid-tempo artists like Porter Robinson or fellow countryman Madeon, and to describe Fakear as a crunchier version of these two wouldn't be far off.
It might be just a tad contrived, and certain forced moments of sun-drenched euphoria definitely outstay their welcome (the relentless flute of "Sekoia"), but more often than not it all comes together (the beautiful plucked string crescendo of "Together" for instance), and Le Vigoureux's overall vision of ecstatic alpine glory is strong enough to carry things. It's music to open your granola bar to during a break in your hike, and if you've been strolling the dappled paths of Four Tet's recent Sixteen Oceans lately, but are looking for something more valley-sized, Fakear's Everything Will Grow Again is a solid guide.
(Nowadays Records)Le Vigoureux certainly never met a flute he didn't like however, and, along with harps, chimes, strings, kalimbas, and various others, these organic instruments (with a clear emphasis on non-Western styles) really are the star of the show here, with any synths mostly bubbling away in the background — often with a nature soundscape thrown in for good measure. Le Vigoureux is able to coax some pretty effective big festival moments from these elements, similar to emotive, mid-tempo artists like Porter Robinson or fellow countryman Madeon, and to describe Fakear as a crunchier version of these two wouldn't be far off.
It might be just a tad contrived, and certain forced moments of sun-drenched euphoria definitely outstay their welcome (the relentless flute of "Sekoia"), but more often than not it all comes together (the beautiful plucked string crescendo of "Together" for instance), and Le Vigoureux's overall vision of ecstatic alpine glory is strong enough to carry things. It's music to open your granola bar to during a break in your hike, and if you've been strolling the dappled paths of Four Tet's recent Sixteen Oceans lately, but are looking for something more valley-sized, Fakear's Everything Will Grow Again is a solid guide.