Autre Ne Veut came out of nowhere last year with a debut record that was so surprisingly great that it managed to scale its way into my top 10 list for 2011, despite a lack of any real hype or coverage. The first time I listened to that record, it caught me off guard to such a degree that I nearly wrecked my car as a result of being startled with joy. While describing it I wrote: "It's a quasi brand of chillwave that incorporates heavy doses of R&B as well as off kilter electronica into heartfelt pop songs. As a result Autre Ne Veut have crafted an original sound that is as challenging as it is comforting. It's soul soothing, yet jarring at the same time. The familiarity locked within the complexity of the music is what makes this immediately lovable, while at the same time rewarding repeated in-depth immersions into this record. It also sounds like it might have been made by Unicorns. Yes, it is that magical." I am almost positive now that this is the music of Unicorns, especially since a year later the sentient being responsible for Autre Ne Veut has yet to unveil his true identity, meaning, of course, he must be a Unicorn. What this magical Unicorn has done, though, is produce yet another superb collection of songs with "The Body."
Only an EP, "The Body" nevertheless sounds more massive than ANV's debut. The same template of experimental R&B-influenced pop runs throughout this record, but it all sounds stadium-sized. It's bigger, louder and grander than before and dizzyingly great. Opener "Sweetheart" should be bouncing off the walls of a sold-out auditorium while being sung by an 80s R&B legend to a sea of lit Bic lighters. "Not the One" follows and sounds like a futuristic chorus teetering at the brink of sanity. Guest vocalist She Wolf repeats the same refrain over and over while ANV provides a backdrop of chilly synths and beats that wouldn't be out of place on the "Blade Runner" soundtrack. The darker sound of "Not the One" informs the beginning of "Just Return," one of the record's best tracks. The number vacillates between moments of atrophy and inertia, and inspired struggle against such decay. Punctuated by the lyrics "now I wanna be light, now I wanna be strong," the piece acts as a rallying cry just before "Your Clothes" closes out things on a pounding up note. When it is all over, you are going to want more. At the same time, there is a lot of meat here to chew on while awaiting ANV's sophomore LP.
Recently I've been thinking of 2011 as the year of the EP, with superb smaller releases from Barn Own, Locrian, Big Business and How To Dress Well all outshining most artists' full-length efforts. Add Autre Ne Veut to that list, because "The Body" proves that sometimes thirteen minutes of spectacular music is more compelling than forty-five minutes of just decent music.
"Just Return"
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