ALBUM REVIEW: The Machine Is Burning And Now Everyone Knows It Could Happen Again – BRUIT ≤

The best albums are those that grab you and refuse to let go. They inspire, impose, and transport you into a whole other realm of thinking. We all have examples of such music; records that have changed our lives and impacted the way that we interact with the world. They provide those “I remember where I was when I first heard…” moments, and in most cases stay with us forever, even if our tastes may change and we develop as people. It’s a reminder of how magical music can be, more than just entertainment, but something with the capability to ameliorate lives. Something that French newcomers BRUIT ≤ threaten to do with their debut album, released today.

They are a band that have long since cast the rule book into the fire, dead set on constructing music that challenges not only their own capabilities as musicians, but provides the listener with a unique listening experience. To say they have succeeded is probably the understatement of the twenty-first century, as what they have actually created is nothing short of groundbreaking.

The Machine Is Burning And Now Everyone Knows It Could Happen Again is a rare example of humanity achieving something above and beyond the norm, surpassing what is surely possible in emphatic style. Standing as a four-track LP with each section averaging around nine minutes in length, it imposes no limitations upon itself and spirals into a cacophony of neatly woven musical styles. Beginning with Industry, which builds gradually from ambient stillness into an electronic trap beat, before hurtling into classical composition and francophone dialogue. Here is an album that does everything at once, crafted by a band that understand not only how to consolidate frequencies and sounds, but also how to fuse together juxtaposed sounds without leaving any of the stitching exposed.

The record is seamless, constantly drawing our minds from one direction to another and challenging our understanding of what music is. As we move into the second track Renaissance, again we are first exposed to the poise and control of classical musicianship, before the track grows into yet another buoyant and complex piece of music. BRUIT ≤ talk about how they aim to construct “walls of sound” and that about covers it. It is almost too good to be true. How can a band do so much and yet sound so fluid? How do contemporary electronics work so magnificently against a neo-classical backdrop? How does this album just keep getting better? 

These are all questions that don’t necessarily need an answer. The simple fact is that the band have created something that we don’t need to understand. We can leave behind the temptation to try and dissect it too much, and not worry about trying to compare it with other albums and bands. There isn’t a right answer. As Amazing Old Tree continues to show, BRUIT ≤ have manufactured something that probably only they can. This is their sound, and it deserves to be considered as such. At it’s most powerful, it can totally fill our chests with a sense of overwhelming grandeur, and yet in other moments it is so delicately poised.

As we move into the final track The Machine Is Burning, it’s hard to believe that BRUIT ≤ could upstage themselves. And yet they did. This track is possibly the best twelve minutes of music you will ever hear. It is ultimately a crescendo of brilliant noise. As orchestral splendour opens up the track, it blooms and swells, leading into a finale that will leave you nothing short of gobsmacked. It is music of the highest calibre. This understated set of Toulouse based musicians have created something here that will be talked about and revered for a long time to come. This album is the start of something special. Music changes today.

Rating: 10/10

The Machine Is Burning And Now Everyone Knows It Could Happen Again is out now via Elusive Sound. 

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