Lauré Lussier - Strange Recital

Released: May 20

Aural textures combined with spoken word always make for a fascinating listening experience, if for no other reason than the lyrical message. But on Strange Recital, Lauré Lussier takes these spoken words and twists, mutates, and spins them until the become a texture all themselves. Haunting bits of poetry fill the ether with all kinds of haunting auras while being accompanied by more classical elements. The opener of this short(ish) album "Vieux Piano" starts this off with a gentle bit of keys that almost immediately lead into pitch-shifted and gently distorted vocals of two voices reading out the same poem. This effect is spectacular, especially considering the way in which it is oriented in the stereo space. It sounds as if both speakers are on opposite side, gently speaking into each ear with just a bit of crossover in the middle. A rather interesting way in which to convey the intended mood. 

Much of the album utilizes this kind of audio trickery with voices and instruments switching places and swirling around one another. The textures employed vary from your classical keys to purely synthetic textures. The third track "Five O' Clock" blends all of these together in a rather compelling way, opening up with something that sounds strangely like sirens in the distance that continue on into the song, even as the keys and the unsettling voice of the poet come in. It feels rather disorienting sonically here, but the voice is what grounds the track. Where the opening track had the vocals on either side of us, the vocals here are centered in front of us, as if we are viewing the madness occurring behind the speaker while it softly whispers to us in a deep voice.  

In cases where spoken word is mixed with music, too often the words overpower and overshadow the rest of the music. But in this case, Lussier finds a perfect balance throughout the listening experience. The poetry and the music intertwine well and know when to subside and give the other room to breathe. It comes across as a rather delicate little dance between the two, one the is choreographed perfectly.