Klone are a constantly evolving six piece from Poitiers, France who made their debut 12 years ago. In that time, the band has drifted away from its metal roots to a more progressive, ethereal sounding vintage rock band with some serious modern heaviness. Each release has been significantly different to its predecessor, and album number six, “Here Comes The Sun” is no different. Let’s see what this album casts its light on.
“Immersion” comes right in with some clean and passionate sounding vocals. The heavily delay and reverb soaked guitars and bass create an almost dreamy sonic landscape with a very melancholic feel which is hauntingly beautiful. The track picks up in intensity with the bass and drums getting heavier with a steady pounding rhythm whilst the clean haunting arpeggio’s and thick sounding rhythm guitar help pad it out. The break picks up the feel with some keyboard work and there is a good saxophone solo which adds a powerful and dark twist to the song. The break has a real heavy crushing feel without being full on metallic in its delivery and the post break drums are fantastic. “Fog” opens up with some interesting string section styled stuff which could easily be mistaken for some guitar trickery given Klone’s tremendous application of effects. The simple sounding clean melody combined with the soft vocals and steady drums works well and that rich bass tone is great. The chorus brings a brighter sound to the clean guitar whilst the distorted rhythm brings a darker edge, creating a great dynamic and contrasting effect. The moody break section after the second chorus jas an almost jazz like feel to it which is interesting and after this, the song kicks in with more distortion which really hammers it home.
“Gone Up In Flames” is slightly faster than the previous tracks and it begins with a clean lead and some synths. The vocals aren’t as moody and the bassline has a real bouncy feel to it, giving the track more of an upbeat feel to start with. The chorus keeps this feel whilst coming across as relaxed with some good vocal work and the second chorus ends with the approach softening a little. The clean melodies remain and some saxophone work comes in once more with some string section accompanying it which has a real great build up effect for the solo which could either be guitar trickery or another sax solo, it’s really hard to tell! The solo is subtle, just dancing along the top of the big bass sound and this leads into the final chorus before fading out. “The Drifter” has a steady pulsing rhythm to it. The clean guitar sounds like it is something out of a western movie whilst the bass has a slightly funk feel to it. The melancholic vocals and delay-laden lead guitar give a surreal feeling at times and the subtle synths give it an extra edge. Overall, when all these come together, it is almost as if the song is teasing at a big moment. Round the 3:20 mark there is a break which has a darker tone to it. Piano melodies feature with some big drum build up over the funk-like bass groove, maintaining that teasing sense of build up and it gives the song a real unique feel. The final chorus kicks up the intensity with a shifting clean melody and drums over the steady funk bass. The only downside is that the song doesn’t explode to life by the time it ends.
“Nebulous” has a dark feel initially. The slow pace, ringing guitars, rich bass sound and expressive vocals give the song a sorrowful overtone. The distortion kicks in for the chorus, giving it a big sound. The vocals are great and the steady rhythm works well. As it transitions back into the verse, it doesn’t lose any of the momentum from the chorus which is pleasing and in the second chorus, the lead melody is slightly different, coming across as more sorrowful which works great. The break round 2:50 has ringing guitars, subtle synths, steady bass and when the string accompaniment comes in with the lightly distorted guitars is really increases the experience of the track. The vocals and drums join which is a great moment and the lead is simple but effective. As the song really comes to life, the strings return for the third chorus section which gives it a very grand feel and the subtle lead guitar under the vocals works great as the song slowly trails out to the end. “Gleaming” is an instrumental which has a very Pink Floyd feel to it with some interesting synths, leads which swell in volume and some intriguing bass melodies. The off pace tempo is almost hypnotic at times and the eerie faint sounding clean section really adds an extra touch which you would expect to act as a segue into the follow track, sadly it doesn’t.
“Grim Dance” has some clean chords and vocals to begin with which gives the song a dark edge. The distortion kicks in, upping the volume and leading to a slight change in the melody for the chorus which has a steady pace to it which picks up a little as it goes on. The second verse starts off clean and as it goes distorted, it really gives a dynamic build up effect which leads to the second solo which has a chunky slow chug feel to it underneath a ringing clean guitar melody. The deep bassline which follows in combination with the drums really builds up the feel of the song and the synth and guitar work adds that extra edge to it which leads to the final chorus and a big outro which has a dramatic flair to it. “Come Undone” starts with a simple guitar and bass section which is joined by the strings once again. The song has a more upbeat feel to it as the vocals don’t come across as dark compared to the other tracks. The clean guitars ring out in the verse and they follow some intricate lines in the chorus whilst the rich tone of the bass is captivating. The break after the second chorus has a small lead section which is backed up by the strings and this creates a soaring feel which remains till the end of the track. It picks up pace for the ending with some great melodic work and nice drums to close it off.
“The Last Experience” starts out with a soft guitar tone to begin with which gets louder. The almost hypnotic feel from the bassline returns and the soft vocals in the verse are complimented by haunting sounding guitars once more. As the song goes on, the bass gets deeper and delay soaked guitars and synths really add to the intense atmosphere. As the layers build up, the bass and drums become more animated and when the distortion kicks in, it has a real crushing, dark feel to it. The song speeds up, giving a more urgent feel to it and the intricate drum work is fantastic. Subtle layers of effects on the lead guitars add a slightly surreal edge to it and the synths and samples end up overpowering the song, making it even darker as the band fades out into the final minute which is a harsh dose of samples and synths. The band comes back in, this time with some extremely distorted drumming noises before it cuts to silence, giving it a powerful ending. “Summertime” begins with some horn use and acoustic guitars. The vocals are slow and the song has a dark edge to it – the haunting acoustic and horn work has some great interplay with the strings whilst the vocals are strong and passionately delivered. There is is a big string section which lifts the feel of the song before it gets relaxed and slowly ends. An interesting way to cap the album.
“Here Comes The Sun” is a dynamic album. Klone have created a very expressive and emotive album with this release. The dark and surreal at times sonic landscape is captivating and you can get lost in it easily. Despite the overall melancholic feel to the album, it’s beautifully crafted and genuinely enjoyable to listen to.
(8.5/10 Fraggle)
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