Back from the dead! Josh and Angela (of Velvet Cacoon) have reappeared from nowhere with more Clair Cassis, in the form of Luxury Absolute - another excellent EP of luxuriously fragrant atmospheric black metal, influences by seafaring themes as far as track titles like Antique Sea Smoke and Olive Ink Seahorse suggest, along with the murky burble of the central Soft Castle. To say this is essential is an understatement, even for those of you not so into black metal, just try this and see if you feel it.
Again, Josh has produced an immaculate set of songs, hewn down to only their most essential elements, only the first track lasting more than three minutes. These elegeantly wrought nuggets of black gold feature a slightly deeper and darker sound the the previous EPs, the blissfull fuzz joined by a more guttural bass tone; throatier backing vocal lurk underneath the stage-front nastiness of the lead cackle. Reverbed guitars shudder as if their graves have been walked over, drums thud sickly, snares snap with dusty recoil and across it all a dread wind carries the scent of a seductive perfume, enchanting, entrancing. Seven sirens calling from moonlit rocks, seven fates to befall you.
Ethereal black metal label Khrysanthoney is in talks with Josh about putting the new tracks on a tangible format. Keep checking back here to see what happens.
Clair Cassisis a new project from Angela and Josh of Velvet Cacoon, described by themselves as 'luxurious black metal inspired by drugs, fine perfume and graveyards.' I've been sitting on this post for ages, trying to figure out the best time to put it up, and how to refine it as elegantly as the music I'm presenting to you. Well, the weather's turned, there's a chill in the air and the trees are turning to gold so now seems like as good as time as any. Jump straight down the bottom and hit either of those videos or go straight and download their second EP available for free from brand new UK black metal label Krysanthoney: HERE
This is the most refreshing and succint feral euphoria I have heard for a very long time, but it comes spoiled, tainted with the news that Clair Cassis have already - alledgedly, according to Josh, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's true - killed this project, since the start of August, according to their fansite myspace blog, which quotes Josh as having said:
"Oh and for what it's worth, clair cassis is now a dead project too. vc/cc both, just lost interest in creating the music (still love listening to certain groups though). Thanks for listening."
There is really no need for them to produce anything else. Sometimes a band is kept more perfect by restraining themselves, and someone as sensitively attuned as Josh, to the artistry of band as event, album as artform, promotion Vs. pranksterism, is all too aware of this. The release of two identically self-titled albums (same as Crystal Castles) is apt because they are almosty indistinguishable from each other in terms of sound, songcraft and quality, two parts of the whole. Velvet Cacoon are one of the most overlooked, underrated USBM bands around. I think their abraisive reputation preceeds them and has a negative influence on people before they even get to the music - or maybe it was the velvet sleeved LP. Neither are especially true black metal, but that's all the more reason to pay attention - it's such an artistic and contrary take on the genre that's it's seen them get closed out of both the inner sanctum of kvltists and the more casual scenes. Clair Cassis do things differently in a different style, and STYLE is the right word. All the songs are below 5 minutes, many don't even break 3 minutes, they just buzz in on a cloud of perfect atmosphere drop a sequence of incredibly catchy riffs that snarl and tear just as much as the glide and swoon - this is romantic post-depressive sub-genrified blackmetal with an arc of pisstaking totally obscured by the majesty of the music on display. Black Metal's own Lou Reed & Nico.
Of the eight tracks on the second album/ep, the highlight is probably Praline Civet, or the comparatively lengthy at just under 4 minutes, Luxury Crypt. For some reason now are up on youtube, but they needn't be as you can download it (and should already have).
Here's two tracks from the first reelase, fine, exemplars of a band flowing as blissful and rocking as you could want any black metal to be:
