AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: BONJOUR TRISTESSE — “LIGHTBEARER”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Sep 192024
 

(written by Islander)

All ardent and avid followers of music like to go exploring, in search of artists they’ve never heard before who might ring some previously un-rung chimes in their head. Of course, such listeners are also drawn to whatever new is propagated by artists whose previous releases have already primed their followers to expect some kind of joyful reaction, even when the music might sound wretched to un-schooled ears.

And then there are artists who simultaneously trigger both reactions, where past experience means you’re going to dive into whatever they decide to release, and where you also expect to find something unexpected.

In my case, Bonjour Tristesse is one of those bands. As you may know, it’s the solo work of Nathanael, who is also in Heretoir, and has been in King Apathy, Thränenkind, Agrypnie, and ClearXcut. Even the band’s name (“hello sadness”) signifies a focus on existential despair, and the music has historically delved quite powerfully into depressive moods, but it hasn’t been frozen in form. Surprises still lie in wait, and they do again in The World Without Us, the forthcoming fourth album of Bonjour Tristesse, which will be released on October 18th by Supreme Chaos Records. Continue reading »

SHADES OF BLACK: HÄXENZIJRKELL, BONJOUR TRISTESSE, TOUR D’IVOIRE, HYVER, HORNS & HOOVES

 Album Reviews, SHADES OF BLACK, SHORT BUT SWEET  No Responses »
Aug 182024
 


Häxenzijrkell – photo by Sophia W

(written by Islander)

Two days ago I woke up with a burst blood vessel in one eye. The entire space in the sclera between the iris and the inner corner of the eye had turned a deep and solid red, as if some devil-worshiping artist had figured out how to photoshop the real me.

It doesn’t hurt, nor has it affected my vision, but it looks hideous. The Mayo Clinic’s website says this condition (a “subconjunctival hemorrhage”) will heal itself in a couple of weeks, as the conjunctiva slowly absorbs the blood over time. The same site lists potential causes, but none of them seem to fit my situation, unless I rubbed that eye really hard in my sleep.

For the sake of symmetry, I’ve wondered if there is a non-painful way to burst a blood vessel in the other eye. I thought if I played today’s selections of black metal extra-loud, that might do the trick. So far, no luck; a blown-out eardrum is more likely, but blood draining from the ear canal would also create a kind of symmetry, yes? Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: BONJOUR TRISTESSE — “ODE TO EMPTINESS”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Apr 032023
 

On April 7th Supreme Chaos Records will release Against Leviathan, the third album by the Bavarian black metal band Bonjour Tristesse. It’s the first part of a two- part cycle, which has a conceptual thread running through it. As the band and label describe: It “paints an extremely bleak picture of the dystopian reality of our time from an unusual perspective. It can be seen as an angry and passionate critique of the industrialized world we are living in. At the centre is the conflict between modern humanity and nature”.

The album consists of four long songs, and today we present the one that closes the record — “Ode to Emptiness“. Continue reading »