Band:	Alcest
Album:	Shelter
Style:	Shoegaze
Release date:	January 17, 2014
Guest review by:	Ch'ti

Disc I
01. Wings
02. Opale
03. La Nuit Marche Avec Moi
04. Voix Sereines
05. L'Eveil Des Muses
06. Shelter
07. Away [feat. Neil Halstead]
08. Délivrance

Disc II [deluxe edition, box & hardcover book bonus]
01. Into The Waves [feat. Billie Lindahl]

Disc III [Complete Shelter -box bonus DVD]
+ Opale [video]

A reorientation of style that was announced from the cover of the album: unfortunately it did not succeed for them.

In all the albums that Alcest has been able to offer us, this is the most disappointing. Be careful, the album is not bad, it is not mediocre either; it is average. One can feel that the band has gone slightly out of their comfort zone to slightly change their style, but listeners can still recognize the captivating style that they were able to offer on Écailles De Lune and Les Voyages De L'âme. However, none of the pieces that Shelter was able to offer reached the level of what Alcest had delivered on their first 3, nor what they would offer on the albums that follow.

The particular atmosphere of the band is different, less charming. Compared to the others that I listened to again for the occasion, Shelter is the least impactful; it has a more delicate approach to the genre than the others, which is not really my thing.

Despite everything, it has certain qualities. I really enjoyed “Délivrance”; generally, the tracks that conclude the album are the most enjoyable with this band. The lyrics are also not bad, even rather pretty; for example in "Voix Sereines", I appreciate the last part:

"L'océan et l'éther se font face,
Communiquant silencieusement,
Sans que nous les pieds sur terre,
Ne les comprenions vraiment".

However, with the rest of the album, it's rather disappointing. The more "soft" approach is a good initiative, but it does not work for me.

To conclude, Alcest tried a new approach to their style, but personally I don't like it and I don't find it really successful. I think that by trying new things, the band discovered which direction not to go in, as the album that follows, Kodama, is my favorite. So this album is a bit special in their discography; I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's a stain among all their albums, because it allowed them to move forward better, but despite everything the album remains quite disappointing.