When singer Arnaud Mazurel quit French cult band
Jack the Ripper in 2008, the remaining members, unsure about whether they should disband or continue, made a Solomonic decision of sorts: to make another record together, yet under a different name and soliciting contributions from illustrious (at least in the indie universe) guest vocalists. More a project than a real band, perhaps,
the Fitzcarraldo Sessions' first release, We Hear Voices, is nonetheless a most enticing proposition, reminiscent of
This Mortal Coil minus their most experimental side. Guests may come from either France (
Moriarty,
Dominique A,
Syd Matters,
Nouvelle Vague's
Phoebe Killdeer) or the Anglo-Saxon sphere (
Tindersticks'
Stuart Staples,
Tuxedomoon's
Blaine Reininger,
Archive's
Craig Walker,
Calexico's
Joey Burns,
Flotation Toy Warning's Paul Carter), but all are groomed in the school of dark elegance championed by the likes of
Nick Cave,
Jack the Ripper's obvious main influence. While the guests all stamp their own unmistakable imprints onto their tracks, We Hear Voices is as organic an album as they come, as the entire project is bathed in that lush, decadent chiaroscuro that all the artists involved are so adept at summoning. And while some individual tracks draw immediate attention -- "Les Méfiants" by
Stuart Staples sounds like a lost
Tindersticks gem, and that is high praise indeed -- this project is above anything else a mood piece, one that seductively walks the line between languidness and despair. A must-have for fans of this type of music. ~ Mariano Prunes