Closed Mouth, the longstanding project of the elusive French independent musician, composer and reluctant singer, Yannick Rault, with a wide discography under his belt, initially also under various monikers, seems to be back on his usual regular rich release schedule.
A cultured artisanal purveyor of a cold dark moody sound, finely crafted, with the right amount of creativity and personality, in his well-equipped homemade studio recording, nestled at the intersection of Post-punk, Coldwave and New Wave, that glimmers with a late 70s/early 80s flare, he grew up with, cross-pollinated with several other sonic hints, varying from Shoegaze, Psychedelia, and Ambient, among others, depending on where his inspiration takes.
We just had time to appreciate last week’s single delivered by lonely downcast vocals, seated on a harrowing overshadowed roof, contemplating, “If the sun refuses to shine”, cast in urgent weeping guitars, and languidly dropped desperate sorrow, and here is the “Loveless” EP.
Two tracks characterized, besides the usual sharp and evocative effect-filled guitar work along the driving drum programming, the crispy percussive finesse is absolutely compelling, by the use of spectral and eerie keyboards to provide an estranging and subtly psychedelic bent.
A hollow, downtrodden vocal feeling “Loveless”, dances hopelessly on the constant mechanical rhythm of a lashing motorik drum pattern along with pinpoint humming bass pulses, stabbed by obsessive distressed guitar riffs, punctuated by crisp knocking percussive hits that trigger surrounding melancholic synth glares, to release lifeless spoken words laced with angst and alienation.
A mournful, immersive, slow-paced Curesque dirge, “Final Words” creeps through stumbling percussions, rugged bleak bass throbs, ominous agonising edgy guitar strains and mournful synth wanderings, whilst ghostly and anxious vocals float in and out of audible frequency, amid recorded voice clips of seemingly enigmatic yet wicked and heinous suggestions.
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