Francois & The Atlas Mountains

Francois Marry et al. make their debut on Domino Records for their fourth album release. ‘E Volo Love’ (a palindrome, no less) is full of Euro-kitsch sound, clearly influenced by the evolution of frontman (and ‘frensch-man’) Marry. The 11-track piece, recorded in a church near La Rochelle, is a refined product of seven year’s travelling and gigging around Europe with the likes of Electrelane and Camera Obscure. Un vrai sens du ‘francais’ is clearly embedded within the soul of the album, not least because Francois Marry sings in French in about half the songs, but his influences are clearly broad. ‘Edge of Town’ sounds tribal, but endearingly fragile, in parts whilst ‘City Kiss’ is refreshingly indie, suggesting that living in and out of Bristol for the past five years has done wonders for Marry’s musical maturity.

At times the album is fragmented; female vocal support in ‘Cherchant des Ponts’ wasn’t necessary and if anything it reduces the musical rigour of the album by making it sound typically Parsien-esque. Some tracks – such as ‘Slow Love’ sound they have been thrown onto the collection. But then you hear the spine-tingling ‘Bail Eternel’ with choir-like backing vocals and you realise that we mustn’t write off Francois and The Atlas Mountain at the first listen.

Interestingly the album can be dipped into in bits, it doesn’t read like a story with a beginning, middle and conclusion; just as the album title suggests you can listen to it back to front and not feel any change. Like a palindrome. Lyrically, some songs sway into laziness ‘be at your best at all times/ And then rest on my chest’ Marry sings in ‘Do You Want To Dance?’ Overall, though there are some real gems hidden within, I feel we are yet to see the best of Francois & The Atlas Mountains.