DON'T THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE YOUR PURPOSE

A French Canadian band who has obviously taken inspiration from CAN but seem to be offering a "What would Can be doing today, in the 21st Century" perspective. Obviously, they think there would be elements of Kevin Shields' My Bloody Valentine sound as well as Post Rock bleeds.

1. "A Certain Sense of Disenchantment" (1:58) teasing space rock sounds and Roman gladiator beats make it sound as if I'm in for a SWANS-like listening experience--but then it ends (and bleeds over to the next song) with some KRAFTWERK-like synth sequencing. (4.25/5)

2. "1N914" (7:05) A hard-driving, metronomic Krautrock song that turns full-on Post Rock. The presence of some KEVIN SHIELDS-like guitar chord bending is awesome. One of the best songs of 2021. (14.5/15)

3. "Marché des vivants" (3:48) Great synth-oriented song. It doesn't hurt that the rhythm section provides us with a flippin' awesome groove that you can really sink your pelvis into. (9.5/10)

4. "The Moral Compass of a Self-Driving Car" (6:33) the groove of the opening of Camel's "Lunar Sea" comes to mind as well as the dramatic stylings and sounds of Post Rock of Virginian band GIFTS FROM ENOLA; there is no Krautrock here--until the three minute mark when the car takes a turn onto the Autobahn. What a smooth, sneaky, seemless switch! I welcome the KRAFTWERK and KEVIN SHIELDS sounds and stylings. (9.25/10)

5. "Don't Think You Can Escape Your Purpose" (6:00) a more dreamy, contemplative, mostly instrumental song (the Michael Gira-like vocals are only in the second minute) than the previous driving/dancing grooves. New Gold Dream-era SIMPLE MINDS comes strongly to mind. I love--am mesmerized by--the pitch-variant drone throughout the first three minutes. Then it turns ANNA VON HAUSSWOLFF/MY BLOODY VALENTINE. (8.75/10)

6. "Join, Be Curst" (4:38) at first, this one has a punk feel (due to its shouted vocal and simple, straightforward pounding drum beat), but then at 1:43 the music switches to a kind of Latin Space sound--what Space Cowboys might sound like from Sergio Leone and Ennio Morricone. (8.5/10)

7. "Presto Presto, Bella's Dream" (3:46) the first song I heard by the band and one that reminded me of the fact that I'm not a particular fan of CAN-like metronomic Krautrock. (8.25/10)

8. "Black Moth" (6:49) though there is a modern, almost BLACK MIDI, aspect to this song, it could also very well be a song straight off of a MONO, THE FUTURE KINGS OF ENGLAND, or SLEEPMAKESWAVES album. (12.75/15)

An album that starts off so strongly with its Kevin Shields-spiced version of German Post Rock but then, unfortunately, slips into more monotonous stylings of Can-like Krautrock. Admirable attempt at the melding of the two styles but, ultimately, a failure for having fallen too

B+/4.5 stars; a near-miss to masterpiece level. Definitely a band I look forward to for future releases.