Gabriel Keller is a French multi-instrumentalist and composer and Hope Despite Everything is his second studio album and is the direct sequel to Clair Obscur (see review). Keller's music is an almost weird blend of rock, hard rock, metal, folk, jazz, world music and pop, obviously influenced by the likes of The Beatles, Pink Floyd and even Porcupine Tree and Steven Wilson. Hope Despite Everything opens with a seven track - starting with Why and ending with Oppression - concept song about the craziness of war and the electric guitar riffs and hooks are very intense here, almost creating a true "heavy" metal ambiance indeed. My Son is maybe the most exceptional part as it is a lively blues-like track with an amazing guitar solo. The last part called Oppression again has a rather heavy musical character with a couple of real metal influences, and so ends the first excellent part of this album. However, the second part of Hope Despite Everything is "almost" completely different as Keller changes his musical direction with the last four songs. Poussieres Eternelles sounds like world music and the track is sung in French which I rather "dislike;" Your Way features folk-like musical characteristics and even classical passages, while Change even has a catchy chorus. The album ends with a song called Mahaut, a rather mysterious track, or it is just a bitter-sweet love song? So, the first part of this really varied album is more than excellent while the second part, at least to me, is rather weird and sometimes too poppy, so judge for yourself if you can handle this album with almost two completely different musical styles. ***+ Martien Koolen (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
