Les Visiteurs Du Soir – 1984 (Digital/CD/Vinyl Album – Meidosem Records)
The name of this group was probably inspired by an old French black-and-white film of the same name. Behind the duo Les Visiteurs Du Soir are Jean-Christophe d’Arnell (Collection D’Arnell-Andrea) and Pascal-André Fauchard. Both men were previously involved in the D.Stop project, which they would return to after Les Visiteurs Du Soir. This is an old project that, as the title suggests, was active in 1984. The songs on this album are more than 30 years old, but they have been seriously reworked and re-recorded. In total, there are 12 songs plus a bonus of 7 remixes. Meidosem Records released the vinyl while Infrastition Records took care for the CD.
The sound is immediately reminiscent of the minimal Electro-Wave of the 1980s. The sound of the rhythm box and analog synths are abundant here. All the lyrics are sung in French and are quite varied, ranging from inner conflicts to a look back at World War I. Pascal-André Fauchard sings these lyrics with that typical, somewhat sterile, 80s production that gives it an essential cold tone. Here and there, there is a ‘harder’ song with some EBM influences, which also reminds me of their compatriots from Kas Product. “1984” is a dark and melodious work with several beautiful songs.
The remixes were made from one and the same song and feature interesting contributions from artists such as Martin Dupont and Opera Multi Steel. However, none of these songs can surpass the level of the original “Je T’Ecris D’Un Pays Pas Ordinaire.”
Les Visiteurs Du Soir was an unknown name to me, but “1984” is a great opus that I can only strongly recommend to all nostalgic souls of the good old Electro-Wave. (Rating:8½).
Listen to “Quel Etrange Voyage”:
About Les Visiteurs Du Soir
Les Visiteurs Du Soir is a French duo of Jean-Christophe d’Arnell, known from Collection d’Arnell-Andréa, and Pascal-André Fauchard, who have also worked together in the project D.Stop.
“1984” gathers songs the pair wrote in the mid-1980s, now reworked and re-recorded, with a bonus set of remixes. Meidosem Records issued the vinyl edition and Infrastition Records the CD. According to the duo, the album marked their first return to the stage.
Support Side-Line
More people read Side-Line than ever, and there is still no paywall and no advertising. Readers pay for it instead - from $5 a month.
Why we ask
Advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations we have not put up a paywall, and we refuse to add annoying advertising, so we need to ask for your help. Side-Line’s independent journalism takes time, money and hard work to produce, and we do it to push the artists we like, who are equally fighting to survive.
Handled by PayPal.
I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
