Scratch Massive Time
Having put their major-label romance with Warner well behind them, Maud Geffray and Sebastien Chenut […]
Having put their major-label romance with Warner well behind them, Maud Geffray and Sebastien Chenut advance their nouveau-electro agenda with an album of monumental proportions. Reeling from recent successes like “Girls on Top” (on the MBF label) and “Shining in My Vein,” the French duo constructs a vibe out of dark, electro caresses, acknowledging the roots of their craft while sidestepping any new wave or electroclash redundancy. The album gets off to a Kraftwerk-inspired start with “Fake Lesbian” before downshifting into the heavy, circuit-fried melody of “Shadows” and the ethereal helices of “Soleil Noir,” where luminous atmospherics and Geffray’s distant vocals are offset by a strobing analog rhythm section of unprecedented filth. These tracks are fresh and massive indeed, and with mastering from Berlin’s legendary Moritz Von Oswald (Rhythm & Sound, Basic Channel), the grit and body of the album is astounding.