Chuck Lestrange Shadows of the Past & Present

First the downside – the second last song, Simple Song, off the album is a rap/hip-hop piece with smooth down-tempo grooves and rhymes and all that. It’s not necessarily a bad song – it’s got a laidback vibe with a none-too-rushed delivery and a glossy ambience behind – it’s just that the song is far too conspicuous and doesn’t quite fit into the silky thematic elements that Chuck Lestrange carefully cultivates on Shadows of the Past & Present.

Now for the eulogy (sort of) – this is a really good record with emotive soundscapes and just the right amount of glitch. More than good though, it’s an interesting album, with its extended piano-and-string passages, calming atmospheric lady-vocals, and reverb-laced grooves with ample bounce and space causing a gentle psychedelic sway. There’s an ethereal quality that runs throughout its duration, and the simple synth melodies form a soaking spiral around the song while the groove tugs away tenderly for that ever-important sense of equilibrium.

A definite trip-hop environment seductively leads the listener to that solitary yet not quite lonely place, right from Burning Papers, the very first track, up until the rapping kicks in on Simple Song. However, a comforting sense of familiarity returns with Trust Nothing, a seven-minute opus that revolves around a sensitive synth loop that refuses to part, until it finally does. If anything, Lestrange doesn’t quite delve into these expressive passages quite enough, relying largely on sampled sounds to create vivid but mostly short-lived atmospheres.

* You can listen to this album on Chuck Lestrange's Bandcamp page.