Lescop: Debut album UK release

Great to see a UK realease for the  debut album by Lescop, a collection that I've been listening to extensively in the past few months since it came out in France last October.

The album saw him grab a nomination in the Victiores de la Musique awards earlier this year in the Best Original Song category.

In the last year I reckon Lescop must be one act I've featured here more frequently than any other new act.

Well deserved if you ask me.

In my initial review lasy year I wrote:

While hailing from La Rochelle, Lescop was as influenced by the sounds of Manchester as he was by the French music scene.

As a teenager he was fascinated by Joy Division as well as acts like the Buzzcocks, going on to sing with the band Asyl before embarking on his current solo career.

Asyl, formed in '95, released four albums. With their musical roots in the art-informed end of punk, new wave and post-punk as well as the likes of David Bowie, particularly in his Berlin phase.

Lescop's solo album develops the ideas that Asyl played with, and delivers a sophisticated modern pop, with depth and intelligence.

While many electro acts simply recycle the pop sensibilities of the 1980s, the grittier side of the genre, from Suicide to Soft Cell, is often overlooked. Few capture the potential of the genre, with its tension or urgency. Worth remembering too that the original Goth punk scene of the mid to late 80s was as much influenced by the likes of Joy Division as it was by acts like the Sister of Mercy or Bauhaus.

Lescop is however not just a subcultural archaeologist, mining a rich seam forgotten by much of the mainstream. While aware of the 80s underground and the music that influenced it, he's making something entirely new. Some of the ingredients might be familiar, but the recipe is something unexpected.

I think it still stands up, and if anything repeated listening has reinforced how good the album is.

A show in London last night marker the release of the album on this side of the channel, I can only hope there might be more dates in the future.

Lescop has a series of festival dates across France over the summer.