Kodama

Description

"Spirit of the tree" in Japanese, Kodama also means "echo," and the album, both in its structure and intensity as well as in the cinematic dimension of its sounds, indeed resonates with the "echoes" of the great classic of the French duo, Écailles De Lune. However, this new release is much more than just a return to their roots: the band sounds more energetic, more rhythmic, and more organic than ever, and while it clearly shows the influences of bands such as the Smashing Pumpkins, Tool, Dinosaur Jr, Grimes, or The Cure, Kodama primarily reveals the impact that the art and culture of the Land of the Rising Sun have had on Alcest. Drawing its inspiration from Hayao Miyazaki's animated film "Princess Mononoke," Kodama revisits the favorite themes of its composer and revolves around the feeling of not belonging to this world, of living between universes, both the city and nature as well as the physical and spiritual worlds, a duality that is also reflected in the visual approach chosen for the album, entrusted to the talented French graphic design duo Førtifem. A tribute to Japanese illustrators such as Takato Yamamoto, the graphics play on contrasts between nature and urbanity, youth and death, as well as femininity and animality, and blend these poetic elements with darker ones, previously unknown in Alcest's work.