Dutch Lesoir have been recording albums for a decade now. Starting as a musical duo, consisting of guitarist Ingo Dassen and vocalist, pianist and flute player Maartje Meessen, the first steps in the musical scene were taken. After a few albums, Lesoir had grown to a full band,with drummer Bob Van Heumen, bass player Ingo Jetten. Also Eleen Bartholomeus had joined the band as keyboard player, guitarist and additional vocalist. For their fifth album; Mosaic, Ingo Jetten was replaced by Ruben Heijnsbroek With their 2020 release; Mosaic, I think the band has found their ultimate sound, more emotional, a bit smoother and very dynamic. I guess their five week experience as support for the polish band Riverside certainly has been of influence for the albums compositions. Take the opener Mosaic, here we are treated to high standard music, subtle guitars and a great combination of voices, increasing power and a fine production make this a perfect opener. More melancholic compositions are the successor Is This It? and Measure Of Things. Both tracks belong to my favourites on the album, I guess it's the combination of emotion and melancholia in combination with powerful guitar parts and fine soloing that make these stand out for me. But, let's not forget Dystopia, where elements of Pink Floyd and Riverside with the late Piotr Grudzinski pass by. This instrumental with spoken words, almost has a post rock, atmospheric feel, which perfectly fits to the other compositions on the album. Mosaic finishes with the epical track Two Faces, which delicately combines heavy parts with soundscape elements and fine vocal parts. Perfectly working to a furious end of the album. For me this is Lesoir's best album so far, great compositions, wonderful playing and interaction between the vocals and well-chosen guitar solo's. Musically everything works out fine, due to a great job of producer John Cornfield , who has worked with Muse and Robert Plant and second half of the production duo Paul Reeve, the vocal producer of Muse's Matt Bellamy. I hope Lesoir continues on the musical path the have taken with Mosaic. Well done. **** Pedro Bekkers (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
