Les Fragments de la Nuit return with their new album! "Demain, c'était Hier" perpetuates their timeless musical quest, blending the radiance of the stars with the dark forces that lurk in the Night.
The French ensemble have kept faithful to their trademark style, in which pulsing piano chords set the pace for the string-work woven by the cellist and the three violinists, haunted by female choirs that surface on occasion. Yet, contrary to its predecessor, which mostly gathered pieces composed over the years, "Demain, c'était Hier" was devised as a complete opus, giving way to longer and more elaborate compositions.
Although challenging in its complexity, "Demain, cétait Hier" is nevertheless immediately engaging, building a vibrant soundtrack to a tale of mystery and suspense. The album holds quiet, melancholy-driven moments - such as those found on Teletemps or Cyrius B, emphasized by beautiful violin solos, or the title track's slow motion waltz - that flow into stirring, violent passages on tracks like Lunistice or Des Restes Vivaces. Halfway through the record, Allegra Aeternae offers an epic crescendo, complete with choir, percussion and French horn, immediately preceding the eerie Marche Nocturne with its wickedly ceremonial atmosphere. Such variety is testimony to the band's ability to take Contemporary / Neo-Classical music beyond its typical standards, by adding to this genre other stylistic references, some common to Post-Rock, Pop or even Metal, and thus bringing together elements that recall the works of composers like Steve Reich, Philip Glass or Arvo Pärt with those of formations such as Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Balanescu Quartet or even the sinister cult-band Magma. "Demain, cétait Hier" discloses a unique musical universe that takes form in an overpowering nocturnal masterpiece.
