DÉFAITE - La Vallée De l'Etrange (Review By Dirk Ceustermans)

 

  A guest review today but first a couple of quick points, 1) Yeah, the title at the top of the page gives the impression that a song is being reviewed whereas in reality Dirk is reviewing the full album. That's not a cock up on my behalf as some have pointed out, it's just written that way as all the updates are meant to highlight a song of the day even when someone's reviewing an album. 2) There's some great shows on Globam Punk Network and the hosts often listen to each other's shows and, as in this case, discover plenty of great new music. You can get more Global Punk Network details here :  https://www.facebook.com/groups/stenchofhardcore/

  One of the Global Punk Network hosts is Dirk Ceustermans (although his show is hosted by his alter ego Zaphod Beeblebrox). His show airs on a Thursday and is pretty damn eclectic and also very good. The song you're getting today is one Dirk/Zaphod played on last week's show. Dirk is from Belgium and when he sent me this review he said "excuser my fringlish, perhaps sort out the errors?"  I think I'll just replicate what he wrote as it's in the style of Zaphod's unique presenting voice.

  Anyway, enough from me, here's Dirks review of the 2016 album by Lyon band DEFAITE (a band that have sadly since split up)....

  DéFAITE - Post-Humain (Destructure Records, 2016)

  It took me until Ade Bailey played a track in his radio show on Global Punk Radio recently, that I came across this short-lived outfit from Lyon, France. 
Mick asked me to review it, well okay!
Post-Humain was recorded in 2015 and when it was released, in february 2016, Défaite was already defeated.
3 years earlier they released a 7" and before that a demo K7 (Frenchies abbreviate "Cassette" like that because K-sept (sept = seven) just sounds like the word), which sums up their output. I even noticed, browsing around, that they played gigs here in Belgium that time but unfortunately I was not aware of their existence.

  Taking out a record for a spin is always a great experience, this one even slightly delays the adventure as I linger on and enjoy the fantastic sleeve artwork from a guy called Benj, which is a colourful collage of threat, fear and despair illustrating the post human era we're approaching rapidly.
So this artwork perfectly reflects the theme of the tracks. These songs -bar one- deal about a world of human beings
that have lost their humanity (Futuristic, yet so familiar!). 
Everything's excellently recorded with both guitars spewing out riffs, sounding not overly distorted, bit "sec" even, yet, far from clean sounding! Supported, with precision, by a thobbing bass, thundering along with a superb sounding drumbeat.
Sounds very pleasing into these ears!

  Face A kicks in with a punker of a song! Le Jour d'apres (the day after), about the aftermath, it already gives away that 
this record promises to be a contender! Next one's (La vallée de l'etrange) about alienation from human clones, or rather is this
about plain human beings to whom we do not feel belonging to? A slower track but great 
lyric 
"their human traits, so inhuman, 
in their prefab eyes...
This artificial copy, 
this lifeless version of us, 
diving into the heart of reality, 
denying its own humanity" 
goosebumps!!!

  And so the 3 minutes punksongs deal furthermore about "punk topics" but seen from a different angle, both lyrically and musically keeps the attention till the end.

  Faves include the 2 already mentioned tracks, "L'Invention de Morel", which appears to be about a science fiction novell
by A. Bioy Casares, published in 1940, "Drones", "Les Crépuscules des Idoles" which ends into an apocalyptic thunderstorm and an accoustic bit to end it all

  But the outstanding track must be Oublier, about how depressing solitude makes one forget feelings of joy and love.
A bit off of the theme there, but how brilliantly put in words and music.

  There's really no filler on this superb release, perhaps the long ending of the last song puts you off (clocking in over 13 minutes) but, if that counts, it does add to the whole concept of this record.
I'd rather not compare, I'm not good at that, but if you must, this could be placed in between Warsong and (the slower songs of) Péripherique Est.
Top record! Zaphod Approved.

  You can check out the album yourselves as it's available as a free download on Bandcamp.... https://defaite.bandcamp.com/album/post-humain

  This song is called  La Vallée De l'Etrange....

Leurs airs communs 
Appellent chacun 
De nous à rejeter 

Leurs Traits humains 
Si inhumains 
Aux yeux préfabriqués 

Cette copie artificielle 
Cette version de nous inanimée 

Plonger au cœur du réel 
Et renier sa propre humanité 

Plonger au cœur du réel 
Et renier sa propre identité 

Cette étrange vallée 
Cette étrange vallée 
Cette étrange vallée qu'il faudra traverser