Two years after their debut "Hantise", Paris' best - and sole - käng unit TURQUOISE are back with a new album entitled ''Sang, larmes et râles''. If you expected a drastic change in terms of songwriting then you're in for a major disappointment and you're clearly deluded. However, if you crave for an extra portion of abrasive Swedish-style hardcore sung (well...) in French with lyrics dealing with our chaotic time, then this is exactly what you need. This time around the band went for a rockier feel without losing the aggression and focused on writing mean choruses that even the most inept singers should be able to shout along to. Eight songs of totalitarian hardcore in 16 minutes, no arsing around. The brilliant artwork reminiscent of anguished outsider art was drawn by the talented Alan Doyle and "Sang, larmes et râles" is released on Symphony of Destruction and Les Choeurs de l'Ennui. Go to your favourite off-licence and grab the thing.Our take: Sang, Larmes, & Râles is the second album by this hardcore punk band from Paris, France. We carried Turquoise’s first album a few years back (in fact, we still have a few copies in stock), but I can’t recall what I thought of it. This one, though, is excellent! I think the official description sells it a bit short by referring to it simply as “käng,” because it really has a fresh and original sound. Sure, Swedish käng is part of the picture and it seems to really inform the music at the riff level, but the production and delivery aren’t really what I expect from that style. For instance, rather than going for a big and distorted guitar sound, the sound here is relatively clean and thin… the guitars almost sound more like an Amdi Petersens Armé record than Meanwhile or something like that. The vocals are unique, a kind of bark somewhere between Cal circa “Protest & Survive” and Tokurow from Bastard, but with a touch of oi!-ish melody. The drums actually fit the käng template pretty well, though, pounding out a steady d-beat with relatively few accents. It all adds up to something that feels both exciting and interesting, with all the rippingness of that great Swedish stuff, but scrappy, DIY production values that make it feel even more classic.
