Nancydeath75
There is something special about the Fox and Shaman song to me. This enire album already creates wonderful visuals for me with the story being told. I'm looking forward to getting my comic book to literally illustrate the story.
Favorite track: Fox and Shaman (ft. Isabelle.B Baumann).
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Purchasable with gift card
€7EUR or more
Cassette + Digital Album
Unique handpainted Feu Follet logo on cassette shell
Limited to 10 copies
Includes unlimited streaming of Beneath The Earth
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
ships out within 4 days
edition of 10
8 remaining
€7.50EURor more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Includes:
COMIC:
-20-page "Beneath the Earth" comic by Alban Blaising
-on thick 170 gram paper (cover 250 gr)
-size: 5.8 x 8.3 inches / 148 x 210 cm
-limited to 40 copies
CD:
-CD in handmade sleeve
-hand-drawn Feu Follet stele on CD
Includes unlimited streaming of Beneath The Earth
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
ships out within 4 days
edition of 40
€14EUR
Cassette + Digital Album
Includes:
COMIC:
-20-page "Beneath the Earth" comic by Alban Blaising
-on thick 170 gram paper (cover 250 gr)
-size: 5.8 x 8.3 inches / 148 x 210 cm
-limited to 40 copies
CASSETTE:
-limited edition of 15 copies on opaque fox orange
-hand-drawn Feu Follet stele
Includes unlimited streaming of Beneath The Earth
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
ships out within 4 days
1 remaining
€13EURor more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
-CD in handmade sleeve
-hand-drawn Feu Follet stele on CD
Includes unlimited streaming of Beneath The Earth
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
ships out within 4 days
€8EURor more
Beneath the Earth (Limited Edition Fox Orange Cassette)
Cassette + Digital Album
-limited edition of 15 copies on opaque fox orange
-hand-drawn Feu Follet stele
Includes unlimited streaming of Beneath The Earth
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
"His very best so far! [...] Alban forges wonderfully melancholic hybrids of cold wave, new wave, synthpop, shoegaze, post-rock and indie rock. For his latest work Beneath The Earth, he takes a slightly different approach by making use of various guest vocalists. [T]hey all add luster to his already strong compositions, which hark back to the eighties, but appear in a modern way. For reference, think of a kind of alternative in a 4AD immersed Nouvelle Vague variant with participants like Laudanum, Anne Clark, The Cure, O.M.D., New Order, Vlimmer and the early clan of xymox. Food for lovers of the better melancholic music." - De Subjectivisten (NL)
"8/10 - A colourful album. Musically Feu Follet stands for a fairly unique combination of post punk, synth wave with some folky and cold wave-like influences and there is also a mind-expanding layer on the compositions that should bring the fantasy world a bit closer. Can I call it new wave in 2021? [...] It cannot be denied that the eighties float through this album like wispy lights, although the music does not sound outdated at all, and due to the timbre that the different voices in the compositions have, there is always an individual accent in each song. [Feu Follet] should be conceived as an artistic concept rather than a mere musical project." - Side-Line Magazine (BEL)
"With this record, the Frenchman has delivered his masterpiece. This fervent and deeply moving music would certainly make for an impressive live performance. [...] A terrific mix [of] darkwave meets cold synthwave meets Heavenly Voices and dream pop [Blaising] put his heart and soul into. A fantastic sequence of tracks with gems to be discovered, treat yourself to the songs on headphones and you will discover a lot of sound details." (5/6) - Bodystyler (GER)
"Beneath The Earth is a stunning listening experience. Fans of Bauhaus, Cocteau Twins, Siouxie Sioux, and Faith-era Cure will relish in the Gothic vibes Feu Follet, as well as his guest vocalists, has created for us here. The fact that a world and narrative has been built for us to fall into is even more reason to step into this world. The video for “With You” gives us a peak into mind of Alban Blaising. It seems to be quite the magical place." - Complex Distractions (USA)
"Most attractive [...] the genre is not directly definable [...] puts a rather "new" synthwave touch in terms of wave. It is [...] catchy and conclusive. We have the sensation, when listening, of a trip through the skies in vivid tones. The inspiration, in the setting as in the diversity of vocals, is remarkable. At no time does "Beneath The Earth" disappoint. The result seduces. The effort involved refers above all to the talent and vision of Feu Follet." - Muzzart (FRA)
"8/10: Alban [...] hired a group of guests for the vocal parts, inserted in a decidedly more accessible and direct context, hitting the target in full. The songwriting is much clearer and full of groove, [...] expertly mixing darkwave, coldwave, post-rock, synthwave, post-punk, shoegaze and dream-pop, reaching a synthesis that can represent the turning point of maturity. A lot of quality and variety in just 36 minutes, a concise timing in which Albain manages to show off an enviable wide-ranging inspiration, which is reflected both in the freshness of the music and in the graphic art (the edition with the comic strip is absolutely recommended ). A rapid growth that will undoubtedly and presumably soon bring further good fruits: chapeau!" - Darkroom Magazine (ITA)
"Extremely varied, exciting and dreamlike. [...] If you close your eyes and turn on the new record by Feu Follet loudly, you will be sucked into a dark dream. [...] Subliminally fascinating. Somehow you're in this, trapped. And it's not entirely clear where this vortex came from. Is it the cleverly operated synthetic instruments that create the dense sound? Is it the voices that take you by the hand full of trust and distrust at the same time? Or maybe the great gimmicks that dance in the fore- and in the background? - luserlounge (GER)
"A tour de force of a release. This is the perfect mixture of Coldwave, Shoegazer, Dreampop, Darkwave, post rock and so much more. This release is shear brilliance both instrumentation and vocal wise. [...] A solid release with no filler. Each track lures you into the world of Feu Follet. This release transports you to another place full of darkness, life, splendor, pain and so much more. Drench yourself in Beneath the Earth and hear for yourself. The programming is richly layered and phenomenal. Truly this release was brilliantly produced and mastered." - Culture Asylum Magazine (USA)
"Offers wonderful synth wave that illuminates the 80s with a lot of neon light and thus corresponds to the current trend. But, and this is what makes Feu Follet so likeable, the project still has enough rough edges. Especially those tracks that are sung by Vlimmer have this post-punk moment with all the electronics and shimmering synth sequences. This album is a small but nice surprise." - Unter.Ton (GER)
"Intense flashing auras weave warm, cinematic synth swells, punchy hypnotic beats, and low pinpoint bass oscillations into a squelching acidic whirlwind around layered atmospheric male vocal expressing airless anxious renderings, distressed distorted revelations, and light whimsical offerings tinged in angsty dread and charismatic deception falling under the bright and nervous asymmetry of tinkling, chiming off-tempo rhythms." - White Light / White Heat (ITA)
"80’s synthy stuff that starts off like a Pet Shop Boys track but definitely has elements of The Cure in the vocal and musically is on par with The Weeknd. [...] Cool 70’s goth elements blend seamlessly with modern sensibilities." - Blood Makes Noise (USA)
"[A] kind of a musical journey through the moods and stories founded by an interesting crossing of genres: the sounds of cold wave and post punk (and even synth wave) are accompanied by, for example, an art-rock style reminiscent of "Misplaced Childhood - a classic Marillion album. Beneath The Earth's clear bonds are beauty and harmony" - Wavepress (POL)
ENGLISH
On Feu Follet’s 3rd album Alban Blaising does something new with the known ingredients of the band from Nancy, France. After two essentially instrumental albums the sole member of the coldwave/synthwave project decided to take the reviewers and bloggers’ advice to heart, to include vocals and lyrics which were written and recorded by the respective artists.
Everything is based on the accompanied comic book that works as a prequel to "La forêt oubliée", the second album which was also released as audio/visual experience in 2020: Following a fox, a boy discovers a strange stele deep in the woods, which sets supernatural things in motion. In the end he is possessed by the stele and the ghost of a prehistoric shaman appears. Now, in “Beneath the Earth” Blaising focusses on the fox which goes through a number of classical adventures involving all the creatures you can find on the cover art: giant snakes, mermaids, the grim reaper, evil fish, skeletons... Albain drew his influences from “The Neverending Story”, “Labyrinth”, Jules Verne, Marie Severin, tales, legends – he is invested in nature and animal photography with foxes being one of his favourite subjects.
Music-wise, Feu Follet sticks to the cinematographic side of the predecessor album with the guest vocals giving it a more pop/rock approach. Blaising names the “Top Gun” and “Blade Runner” OSTs and concept albums like “Misplaced Childhood” by Marillion while, on the other hand, involving shoegaze arpeggios and a dream pop atmosphere which is supported by the female vocals of Isabelle.B Baumann and Natacha Lubin. In addition, guest vocals by labelmates Vlimmer and XTR HUMAN sprinkle some post-punk vibes on brilliant layers of modular synthesizers which easily keep the album coherent giving it a persisting haunting nature.
DEUTSCH
Auf Feu Follets 3. Album macht Alban Blaising etwas Neues mit den bekannten Zutaten der Band aus Nancy, Frankreich. Nach zwei im Wesentlichen instrumentalen Alben entschied sich das einzige Mitglied des Coldwave/Synthwave-Projekts, den Rat der Presse zu Herzen zu nehmen und Gesang und Texte zu integrieren, die von den jeweiligen Gastsängerinnen und Sängern geschrieben und aufgenommen wurden.
Dabei basiert alles auf dem begleitenden Comic, der als Prequel von "La forêt oubliée" fungiert, dem zweiten Album, das 2020 ebenfalls als audiovisuelles Paket veröffentlicht wurde: Einem Fuchs folgend entdeckt ein Junge eine seltsame Stele tief im Wald und setzt damit übernatürliche Dinge in Gang. Am Ende ist er von der Stele besessen und der Geist eines prähistorischen Schamanen erscheint. In „Beneath The Earth“ konzentriert sich Blaising nun auf den Fuchs, der eine Reihe klassischer Abenteuer durchlebt und dabei auf all die Kreaturen trifft, die auf dem Cover zu sehen sind: Riesenschlangen, Meerjungfrauen, seltsame Fische, Skelette, ein Sensenmann ... Albain schöpfte seine Einflüsse aus "Die Unendliche Geschichte", "Labyrinth", Werken von Jules Verne, Marie Severin, aus alten Erzählungen, Legenden, um nur einen Teil zu nennen - er ist ein von der Natur begeisterter Tierfotograf; der Fuchs sein Favorit.
Musikalisch bleibt Feu Follet auf der kinematografischen Seite des Vorgängeralbums, wobei der Gastgesang ihm nun einen Pop/Rock-Ansatz verleiht. Blaising nennt die Soundtracks von „Top Gun“ und „Blade Runner“, Konzeptalben wie „Misplaced Childhood“ von Marillion, während sich dabei Shoegaze-Arpeggios durch die Arrangements ziehen, die vom weiblichen Gesang einer Isabelle.B Baumann oder Natacha Lubin zusätzlich mit Dreampop-Atmosphäre überzogen werden. Darüber hinaus streuen die Gaststimmen der Labelkollegen Vlimmer und XTR HUMAN Post-Punk-Vibes auf die brillanten Klangschichten, die die modularen Synthesizer weben und das Album so trotz unterschiedlicher Vocal-Einsätze problemlos kohärent halten und ihm eine eindringliche Natur verleihen, die von der ersten bis zur letzten Sekunde hält.
credits
released March 12, 2021
All tracks performed and produced by Alban Blaising
All tracks written by Alban Blaising
Mixed by Alban Blaising and Alexander Leonard Donat
Mastered by Alexander Leonard Donat
Vocals and lyrics by the respective vocalists:
1 & 6: Pat Aubier
2, 4 & 7: Alexander Leonard Donat (Vlimmer)
3 & 5: Isabelle.B Baumann
8: Natacha Lubin
9: Johannes Stabel (XTR HUMAN)
Perfectly gloomy Norwegian goth/post-punk, anchored by a punchy rhythm section and driven by chiming guitar lines and morose vocals. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 16, 2021
