Souvenirs d'un autre monde
| Souvenirs d'un autre monde | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Alcest | ||||
| Released | August 8, 2007 | |||
| Genre | Shoegaze | |||
| Length | 41:20 | |||
| Label | Prophecy Productions | |||
| Alcest chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Blabbermouth | 7.5/10 |
| PopMatters |   |
| Revolver | Positive |
| Sputnik Music |  |
| Ultimate Guitar | 7.3/10 |
Souvenirs d'un autre monde ([suvəniʁ dœ̃ otʁə mɔ̃də], English: "Memories from another world") is the first full-length album by French band Alcest, released in August 2007. The title refers to the meaning behind the music of Alcest, as its leader and songwriter, Neige, sees it as a journey through his memories of a distant world he has been in contact with. It is the only album with Neige as the sole member of Alcest.
Although it is representative of future works, the album differs greatly from Alcest's first release Le Secret, distancing itself further from Alcest's original, darker sound, and going more into post-metal and shoegaze-like direction. It is the last release in which Neige plays all instruments, as he was joined by drummer Winterhalter on subsequent releases.
The album received generally positive reviews. Brian Way of Allmusic lauded the emotional aspect of the album, stating it expressed "yearning, nostalgia, triumph and blissful peace, all without a single lyric in (discernible) English". Many reviewers noted the unique stylistic influences on the album, with Brad Angle of Revolver describing the album as "unexpectedly profound and affecting. Where many black metal records tunnel inward to the dark centers of their authors, Souvenirs d'un autre monde looks outward and upward, encouraging the listener to release its grasp on reality and float into the ether."
Kyle Ward of Sputnik Music was less impressed with the album, writing that "The ideas presented in Souvenirs d'un autre monde" are solid, and rather revolutionary for the genre, but the songwriting is so blatantly flawed that any hope of this fantastic idea coming to realization are swiftly carried away, never to return again."
In 2016, Pitchfork Media ranked the album at number 32 in its list of "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time", saying:
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