By now we know what Anton Newcombe likes and the effect he wishes to replicate. That whole psychedelic fuggy haze that first cast its spell from '66 to '69 and the bands that drew on its heritage in the late '80s and '90s, most particularly Jesus & Mary Chain, Spacemen 3, Spiritualized and Mazzy Star. Newcombe has grown highly adept in terms of replicating that vibe and though his sound can become somewhat samey as he rarely varies his palette much, he does turn out some pretty good records.
His latest project is L'Epee and their debut album Diabolique is pure Gallic Pop Noir. Collaborating with singer Emmanuelle Seigner and The Liminanas, the record rattles along familiar rails to occasionally impressive effect.
Possibly best sampled a couple of songs at a time rather than by listening to it right the way through. the album comes across as an imagined meeting between The Velvet Underground and Serge Gainsbourg in Paris in '67 with Brian Jones showing up in the studio too, utterly off his face but dressed in all his dandy finery. It has moments where they produce the desired hypnotic drone effect perfectly.You have to doff your cap to L'Epee for their artistry, there are some really great songs here, while wishing they could have been a bit more imaginative at points to allow the listener who is aware of where they're coming from and where they wish to go slight respite.
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