Fantastic Twins :: Suite of Rooms (House of Slessor)

All in all, this is an album that doesn’t fail to entertain those looking for interesting, leftfield electronica. The aesthetic of this LP very much matches its concept, and if you want to feel like you’re part of the labyrinth yourself, might as well try and do the one on the cover, only to realize after a little bit that it’s completely closed off and you’d feel as lost as you should.

Mysterious from the moment it begins

Fantastic Twins’ Suite of Rooms—also known as Julienne Dessagne—is one of those albums that sounds like it traveled 3000 years back in time, ravaged whatever sound sources it could get, and then also stepped 400 years into the future to be recorded. As such, it most definitely gets the title of alternative, as it is a really interesting display of leftfield ideas. Alongside really polished modular synths and electronic drums, a lot of entrancing vocals find their space, and the result is intriguing; it’s an odd match, to have sometimes tribal drums and these chant like vocals, often manipulated to be even more bewitching, paired against the always futuristic approach of the synthesizers, but it always works, as the tone of the whole LP remains mysterious from the moment it begins.

The wide displays of ideas here is more than welcomed, as every track has its own distinct identity; there’s something, even just a specific timbre or compositional idea, something even simple, but there is always that something that makes each track unique. Truth be told, that also makes me wish the album was longer, just as you start getting into its atmosphere after the first tracks the record is over shortly after; there’s so much variety that I wish it was explored more, double the amount of tracks would have made me happier! But either way, the album’s atmosphere succeeds, even if it may not have time to fully settle.

The opening track, “The Ship of Theseus,” is the one that left the biggest impact on me. It’s truly a fantastic track one, and man do I love when the album opener feels like an actual opener: it’s grand, it has a slow and gradual progression, and it’s certainly memorable, as that lead synth melody makes sure to stick out. The warped vocals sometimes right in the front, sometimes just fading in and out of the mix, are also great, they encapsulate the album’s magical atmosphere right off the bat; the drums are as big as life, the pads in the background sound heavenly, you really would not complain if this is the track that played after you died and were ascending wherever. None of it comes off as cheesy mind you, there’s nothing excessive about this piece, or nothing that makes it seem like a cheap grandiose song, as the track as a whole offers such interesting combinations that you can’t really dare to call it bland or banal. It sure is big, but it’s the kind of big that’s not trying too hard, it comes off as a genuine grand opening and I really appreciate it for it.

Then follows my other favorite, “Ariadne’s Thread, Unraveling.” The reason this track sticks out so much to me is because of its bassline, which is incredibly catchy. The electro inspired beat is also quite surprising, as there’s nothing quite like it on the rest of the LP; so this one being almost head-bobbing is what makes it rather unique. The track is rather uncomplicated overall, alternating between vocal-lead parts, some thin industrialisms, sometimes the chords in the background step in the front, occasionally so does an arpeggiated synth, there’s a lot of stuff going on, but never all at once; as a result, the song stays entertaining at all times, and with how well its beat and bass match with each different segment, it’s also a smooth ride.

“Labyrinth(s)” follows with the least futuristic approach, as the percussion is far more organic than in any other track. There’s still some punchy synths on top, but this piece comes nowhere near the level of epic that others reach. It’s almost psychedelic instead, as vocals are drowned in effects.

A little bit unnerving ::

“The Monster is Beautiful” displays a cavernous and deep sound instead, and one thing I really like about this piece is how damn clean the snaps sound, they’re really a joy to hear. They’re only impactful for a short bit, as in its second half the piece highlights vocals a lot more, as the mix gets denser and denser with extra layers being added. It is another entrancing piece, maybe the one with the best atmosphere, as it is also rather slow.

To end things off, “Nuances of Triumph” gets a little bit unnerving. Its first part resembles a game show theme as everyone’s waiting for an answer, and if you’ve ever wanted to be on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, you may now try this different version at home. The deep thumps from the drums are surely felt, and as voices roam around you do start to feel a bit uneasy. Things don’t get any smoother as the piece progresses, as dissonance reigns in the track; the piano that’s introduced before the two minute mark does not brighten up the piece, and cold echoey vocals soon come to make the track even more discomforting. It’s only fitting that it ends with a deep drone over which bleeps seem completely lost, as there’s no more sense of direction both structurally and melodically.

All in all, this is an album that doesn’t fail to entertain those looking for interesting, leftfield electronica. The aesthetic of this LP very much matches its concept, and if you want to feel like you’re part of the labyrinth yourself, might as well try and do the one on the cover, only to realize after a little bit that it’s completely closed off and you’d feel as lost as you should. The music captures that feel really well, not because it is stressful, but rather because it has both this sense of extravagance and seriousness. I really do wish there was more, but for now I’ll have to do with these brief fragments, which were really pleasant anyways.

Suite of Rooms is available on House of Slessor. [Bandcamp]