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thot thecitythatdisappears
Artist: Thot
Title: The City That Disappears
Genre: Electro Rock
Release Date: 14th April 2014
Label: Black Basset Records


Album Review

THOT is a musical project created in 2005 by the Belgian musician Grégoire Fray. He himself describes his music as “Vegetal Noise Music”: what's in a word, anyway... I would describe it as a cross-over between industrial electro-rock (NINE INCH NAILS) and prog-pop-rock (MUSE, RADIOHEAD, PORCUPINE TREE). ‘The City That Disappears’ is THOT's third album: It was recorded by Grégoire Fray, who plays most of the instruments and machines and was mixed by Magnus Lindberg (CULT OF LUNA). It features THOT's typical blend of electronics and rock, combined with Fray's unique voice, a voice somehow reminiscent of Matthew Bellamy's (MUSE). The themes dealt with on this album are again focused on the duality between nature and human development, between organic and urban realities.

What strikes most on this album is its intensity, its sense of urgency. Everything is tense and there's an urge to express a strong 'pathos' of feelings, whether it be anger, fear or bliss. The musical scope is very broad: it leads you from the a quiet piece on acoustic piano (‘Keeper’), typically NIN-esque, to the wildest electro-industrial craze (‘Rhythm.Hope.Answers’, probably their strongest composition to date).

“HTRZ”, the first single, starts with syncopated vocals and evolves into a strong chorus and a superb progressive guitar part before the final outburst. ‘Dédale’ is an instrumental track that shows Fray's amazing capacity to create hypnotic electro-ambient atmospheres. ‘Blank Street’ makes me think of NIN's ‘Year Zero’ with its electro sounds and dystopian accents. I love ‘Blank Street’, esp. for its noisy, progressive ending. ‘Negative Building’ is another ambitious composition, rich in different elements. ‘Traces’ is probably my favourite track, because of its more ambient, progressive structure. It clearly evokes ANATHEMA, especially at the end, when Fray sings together with Arielle Moens, the band's VJ. The progression is really amazing, leading to a final instrumental explosion. The album closes with ‘Citizen Pain’, another potential single. Again, the final instrumental is simply stunning.

Overall, this is a very ambitious and accomplished album. The only negative aspect I can find is the production, which seems a bit messy sometimes and lacks clarity, especially in the noisy parts. I wish Fray had the budgets to record in a top-notch studio! Apart from this, don't hesitate to buy this excellent album! Album available in digital & limited edition (300) copies on golden 12" vinyl. Note that the vinyl edition of the album features one bonus track not available in the digital version of the album!

The album on Bandcamp: http://thot.bandcamp.com/album/the-city-that-disappears
Also available on Itunes & Spotify (among other streaming retailers)
Video of HTRZ: http://vimeo.com/89105609
Video of Keepers: http://vimeo.com/98621949


Tracklist

A1 HTRZ
A2 Rhythm.Hope.Answers
A3 Keepers
A4 Dédale
A5 Blank Street
B1 The City That Disappears
B2 Negative Buildings
B3 Traces
B4 Citizen Pain


Line-up

Grégoire Fray

Live with Gil de Chevigné (drums, electronics), Hugues Peeters (piano, keyboards), Dimitri Iannello (bass, keyboards) and scenographer Arielle Moens (videos projections, vocals).


Websites

http://www.thotweb.net / http://thot.bandcamp.com / http://www.facebook.com/thotmusic


Cover Picture

thot thecitythatdisappears


Rating

Music: 7
Sound: 7
Total: 7 / 10





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