L'Avenir is the cold-synth-side project of musician and sound artist Jason Sloan. In the meantime a veteran who has been producing contemplative soundscapes for almost 20 years now. He founded L'Avenir in 2012 as a side project to express himself musically while he released more than a dozen albums, by his moniker, on various labels. Requiem, his most recent work, is released on Cold Beats Records. When not touring or recording, Sloan is a professor who teaches in the Interactive Arts Department at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland.
‘Requiem’ makes it clear from the start that going to be a chilly trip and of little cheerfulness. This is not a steeplechase, but more a stroll in the park. Minimal in terms of instruments, weaned with a sounding from the background and a nice almost goody-goody voice, reminiscent of some of synth-pop greatest vocalists. Maybe not always a guarantee for a high vocal performance, but we are not sitting in the opera, are we? We couldn’t more off, when ‘New Horizon’ starts steadily and growling. Slightly less chilly than the opening track and a little more spiced with heaps of sounds that Sloan has been collecting on for years.
Engaged in deep in the electronic music spectrum for almost two decades now, Mr Sloan can conjure some great sounds from his magic synth hat. ‘Death in The Mirror’ proves he does not refrain from going in the little red LED light when it comes down to the basses.
It was announced as cold synth wave and that’s exactly what it is. After a while, I only get the feeling it might be a little bit too much of the same here. This without being negative about the global album at all. But the sound, both musical and vocal, does not surprise in the end. Like a flashback 30 years back in time when this kind of wave managed to satisfy the dark and extravagant people. Those were beautiful times indeed and they get a true tribute on this album. ‘But yet again, After The Rain’, the final song, makes us longing for more. Partly due to its somewhat shoe-gaze / psychedelic tone, fi might fuel our hunger. A dessert is often a worthy end to dinner. Like it is here, albeit the dinner was served in a modest brasserie, decent but without being a top-chef meal.
As a bonus, there is an 8-track live footage. Recorded very pure, featuring a few songs of this Requiem, combined with some earlier work. It sounds icy cold, extremely clean but well produced.
With his project L’Avenir, Jason Sloan certainly deserves a pertinent place in this genre. Without being the best I’ve ever heard, it's still enjoyable, cold to the bone and able to get a grip on you. Maybe just give it a try!