ALCEST: RECORDING AT SUNDLAUGIN STUDIOS
Encountering other worlds, the soul witness of ethereal life force—a fleeting, yet lingering childhood experience only frontman, Neige (Stéphane Paut), can describe. Three full-length albums later, and the French shoegazers carry on their journey to bring his celestial memories, and magical experiences into being.
A yet-untitled, fourth studio album is now in the works, as Alcest recently entered Sundlaugin Studios, to begin work with producer, Birgir Jón Birgisson. The studio, owned by post-rock group Sigur Rós, is an abandoned, vintage swimming pool from the 1930s—turned recording facility, located in Mosfellsbær, Iceland. “We send you light from this distant place,” assured Neige.
The album is expected to be released in late 2013, early 2014, via Prophecy Productions, and follows the group’s 2012 release, “Les Voyages de l’Âme” (The Soul’s Journey).
Explained Neige: “We feel so happy to be here, Iceland is such an extraordinary country, a hidden treasure kept away from our anxious continental way of life. We couldn’t find a better place to record Alcest’s music, since here we feel a real magic and a total disconnection from everything… It is so surreal to be here!”
Alcest’s new album will feature guest performances by Neil Halstead (Slowdive, Mojave 3), and singer-songwriter, Billie Lindhal (Promise And The Monster).
Neige, on guest appearances: “As I said in some recent interviews we will have two guests on the next Alcest album and today I feel glad to reveal the first one. She is Billie Lindahl, the singer/songwriter of the Swedish project Promise And The Monster. We discovered her album “Transparent Knives” last year during our American tour and felt instantly amazed by this music. It is a sort of otherworldly, nightly and ethereal folk with unique singing and great atmospheres.
If you didn’t know Promise And The Monster before I highly recommend you to check the albums out. Billie will come a few days in the studio in March to sing on some parts. I am sure her voice will perfectly fit with what we have in our head for the next Alcest album, we feel very enthusiastic about that collaboration.”
Images from the Alcest’s official Facebook page, documenting their experience at Sundlaugin:
