ULAN BATOR - Stereolith

Does it still make sense today to talk about post-rock?

You'll often come across online debates about everything post-rock supposedly wanted to be (see the old chestnut about playing traditional instruments in unconventional ways…) without (almost) ever managing to pull it off. With a few rare exceptions, it can more calmly be regarded as a branch of alternative rock over the last twenty-five years, with a handful of particularly illuminating records (think June Of 44, Mogwai, or early Tortoise) and plenty of other work that, with hindsight, we can now write off as dispensable.

Ulan Bator of "Végétale" were more or less aligned with that strand, enjoyed some notoriety on the indie circuit back in the day, and, many years on, leader Amaury Cambuzat is still flying the flag, surrounding himself with collaborators who change over time, ensuring the project a steady flow of new input.

In 2017, "Stereolith" sounds very good, highlighting a creative streak that hasn't run dry, now expressing itself in a less forceful manner and leaning more toward a cinematic-minimalist approach, austere in places, with vocals almost entirely in English, except for "Spinach Can", where a partial return to the mother tongue occurs.

Written during breaks in the Italian tour supporting their previous “Abracadabra“, “Stereolith” is a multifaceted record, moving with constant authority between the industrial hints of “Blue Girl”, the electronic tension of “Ego Trip”, the impetuous saxophone colouring the circular raga of “NeuNeu”, the decadence of “Icarus” and the melodrama of “Lost”, which lead into the decidedly epic, very Notwist-like “Dust”, for a superb closing triptych.

But above all we catch a strong Mitteleuropean streak that recalls Berlin-era Bowie (the title track), along with pronounced kraut and wave touches that shape its development, making it one of the most distinctive works in Ulan Bator's entire discography.

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07/04/2017