Moroni's Review of Au Revoir Simone's "Move In Spectrums"

Au Revoir Simone

Au Revoir Simone was immediately awesome for me for a few reasons.  As I did research for this band, I discovered that their name is derived from a line from the movie "Pee Wee's Big Adventure", which is one of my favorite movies, and certainly my favorite Tim Burton movie.  Next, David Lynch is a big fan and had the band play at one of his art exhibits.  And that makes total sense, because their music has a dreamy, atmospheric quality to it, just like Lynch's films.

"Move in Spectrums" is this Brooklyn trio's fourth album, and yet this is the first I have heard of them.  Their music is characterized by breathy, soft vocals and mostly synthesizers.  How do I feel about this album?  I started listening to it last night, and I could not put it down.  When it came time to go to bed, I put on the headphones and kept listening to it.  I woke up in the middle of the night with the music on repeat, still playing.

The album starts out with the moody "More Than", a sparse drum beat and bass keyboard and an almost inaudible and haunting keyboard in the background.  Her vocals are deep, almost like a Joy Division or Jesus & Mary Chain song.  Then the synth rhythm starts.  This is dark wave at its best.

There are a few ambient songs that are great - "We Both Know", "Boiling Point", and "Hand Over Hand".  Simple, emotive, and stripped down, these songs will carry you in an effervescent crest of noise.  There are also some bouncy pop emeralds like "Crazy" and "Graviton".  My favorite songs is "Just Like a Tree" with its tinny drum machine, staccato keyboards and layered vocals.

What was I feeling as I listened to this in the middle of the night?  Nostalgia.  Strange for a band I had never heard before yesterday.  This record is already one of my favorites.