Since the mid-1980’s, Voïvod‘s Jean Yves “Blacky” Thériault has been hailed as an inimitable force of bass wizardry throughout the world of thrash. But Coeur Atomique, Thériault’s latest incarnation, takes his sound to a new place entirely. We happen to think you’ll enjoy it.
Coeur Atomique is as silky as it is sinister, with Jean Yves’ concrete-thick bass tone front and center. The haunting off-meter samples and deranged vocal rounds lend itself perfectly to today’s all-too-relevant exclusive: a chilling cover of The Residents‘ “The New Hymn.”
The project consists of Thériault and his partner Monica Emond shredding bass simultaneously over sparse electronics. Yet as you can tell, the effect is far greater than just the sum of its parts.
Headier fans of the futurist side of math rock will find things to enjoy here. But so will the minimalists – think shades Autechre or Chevreuil with King Crimson styled leads instead of complicated rhythm sections. There’s a decent amount of math here, but it doesn’t tailor itself to any sort of familiar experience – fans of Thériault should hardly be surprised by this.
They also have a slightly doom-y side as well, showcased a little more the 7/8 crunch of “Green Run” and polyrhythmic accents of “The Waste.” The sheer tone of it all brings to mind the grungy isolated bass tracks of A Perfect Circle or Failure.
“Berghof” dives particularly deep into this abyss, slowly dripping with warped synths and hypnotic scalar melodies. There’s something mystical about two bass players really syncing up, particularly when they both have great tone. If you’re the kind of person that needs to put on one of those “Post-Cyberpunk Blade Runner Ambience” videos in order to feel productive (like us), this can have a similar effect. It might start as something in the background, but it draws in your attention unsuspectingly.
Today’s premiere is made doubly excellent by news that the band will be re-releasing Landscape of Emergency through Coup Sur Coup, a B.C. based label that should be familiar to most of us by now. Recently they’ve put out tapes with Horse Torso, Sloth and Turtle, Jitters, and that’s just to name a few.
We’re definitely eyeing those limited edition orange cassettes! With pre-orders live currently, the tapes should see physical release by April 6th.
Pre-order your Landscape Emergency tapes at the CSC Bandcamp above, or visit Coeur Atomique’s official website here. And don’t forget, pre-ordered copies are signed by the band!