Scenius is an electronic duo consisting of Fabrice Nau
(vocals) and Steve Whitfield (synths). Whitfield is also a member of the
post-punk band Klammer, whose guitar heavy work is very different to the
electronic beats and textures generated by the analogue synthesisers Whitfield
uses in Scenius. The name Scenius, incidentally, comes from a quote from the
musician Brian Eno (“… scenius is the intelligence of a whole… operation or
group of people. And I think that’s a more useful way to think about culture,
actually. I think that — let’s forget the idea of “genius” for a little while,
let’s think about the whole ecology of ideas that give rise to good new
thoughts and good new work”) and the band does represent the notion of ‘scenius’
well – Nau is based in France and Whitfield is based in Leeds and both draw
upon influences from their respective homelands and music and musicians from
beyond that.
The debut album from Scenius is called ‘Enough Fears’ and is
made up of eleven tracks. Interestingly, in this age of playlists and random,
shuffle sequences, ‘Enough Fears’ actually sounds like a coherent album, a
strong musical journey from beginning to end. The album kicks off with ‘Make It
Shiny’ (the latest single), which manages to marry the influences of Kraftwerk
(the opening few seconds in particular recall sounds found on the German band’s
seminal album ‘The Man Machine’) with the dark lyricism of Martin Gore from
Depeche Mode into a three-minute electro-pop banger. As a statement of intent
for what is to come from Scenius throughout the album, it is certainly strong. Following
on from that is ‘Some Of Your Nights’ – which musically recalls the Vince
Clarke-era of Depeche Mode and, like much of the album, isn’t shy of embracing
the musical flavour of its influences. It is worth pointing out that while the
influences on Scenius are apparent (Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, Ultravox, Air),
Nau and Whitfield do not slavishly recreate the works of those groups; rather,
they are able to combine elements of each and rework them into the distinct
sound and mood that belongs to Scenius.
The third track on the album, ‘Wild And Wooly’, (also the
second single released by the band after their debut release ‘Glass Rain’ which
is absent from the album) crackles with an air of unease with its reverb-heavy
percussion echoing away, while Nau’s vocals drift over the top of the
soundscape. In an album which has already presented some interesting music
within its first three tracks, it could be easy to overlook the polished vocal
performance of Nau but there is one moment which showcases his skill well
on this song where the music drops out briefly, leaving Nau to sing one line
virtually unaccompanied (‘And I just wanted a name’) until the sparse backing
picks up again as the song reaches its conclusion.
The fourth track – ‘Less Than Dreams’ – has a fantastic pop
chorus built into it with some interesting musical textures and vocal effects,
all of which combine to provide a suitably ‘dream-like’ flow to the song. The
title track, ‘Enough Fears’, vocally comes on like a soothing salve for these
strange, troubled times we are currently experiencing with the coronavirus
pandemic, with Nau’s voice sounding very relaxing before a musical interlude
which bubbles up from underneath and provides a hint of unease for the latter
half of the song. Track number six is called ‘Held’ (again, another single
release) and is the track which most strongly recalls the ambient work of Brian
Eno – especially in its opening moments – before Nau sings in a mix of English
and French. Incredibly, Nau doesn’t begin singing until halfway into the song;
the first two minutes and fifteen seconds are taken up by the lush,
electro-ambient sounds produced by Whitfield. This track does bear the
influence of French electro duo Air, an influence which is even more apparent
in the following song, ‘Superposés’ which is sung entirely in French by Nau. It
is also this song where Whitefield’s post-punk inspiration comes to the fore
with the melody line of the song recalling ‘Permafrost’ from the band Magazine.
‘Cookie Cutter’ kicks off the final part of the album. This
song takes up the '80’s electro-pop concept and really runs with it – the
synthesisers loop around and the synthesised drum beats pound out, marking a
return to the sounds explored earlier in the album before the quieter, more
reflective run of songs between the title track and ‘Superposés’. ‘Like Our
Bones’ is full of bubbling electronica with a bridge between choruses which
soars out of the speakers. Track ten, ‘Stark Relief’ would, for most other
bands or groups, ordinarily be the album closer; this is a song which is built
upon a sparse track with a galloping rhythm within it, while Nau intones the
lyrics over it. It is the sound of contemplation, a move away from the more
upbeat electro-pop moments found earlier in the record. However, in a move to
avoid ending the album on too much of a reflective, even down beat, up
comes ‘Darkest Lines’ which bookends the album nicely, recalling the ‘pop’
sounds and feeling of ‘Make It Shiny’ at the top of the album. It acts as a
palette-cleanser from the preceding ten tracks and, perhaps, hints towards what
is next for Scenius.
‘Enough Fears’ is a strong debut album which contains some
genuinely outstanding electro-pop moments (‘Darkest Lines,’ ‘Less Than Dreams’,
‘Held’, ‘Superposés’, and the title track) and provides much for Whitfield and
Nau to build upon in future work. Well worth seeking out, especially if you
enjoy the electronic music of the late 1970s and early 1980s, when the album is
released on the 4th December.
on - 21/11/20
Order / listen here:
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