It seems that—no matter which project currently possesses his focus—Avignon’s native son Neige just seems to have the golden touch. Whether it be the instrumentalist’s black metal stylings (Peste Noire, Mortifera, Celestia) or his shoegaze tendencies (Alcest), the man can simply do no wrong.
Enter Amesoeurs. Essentially a masterful amalgamation of Neige’s dual personalities, the band’s Ruines Humaines EP made massive waves in 2006 with its delicately powerful balance of black metal misanthropy and fragile, mournful melody. Said debut turned out to only be a taste of what was to come, however, because now we have Amesoeurs’ magnificent, self-titled full length to revel in and worship…even though it seems that the project apparently exists no longer.
Literally a sonic explosion/implosion of emotional and sonic turmoil, Amesoeurs provides the soundtrack to crumbling cities; the slow, sad and pitiful collapse of civilizations upon themselves. Blistering contacted Neige himself to assist us in breaking on through the other side of Amesoeurs’ grey clouds and overcast skies.
Blistering.com: Between Alcest, Mortifera, Peste Noire and Amesoeurs, I’m frankly humbled and amazed at how wide-sweeping your talent has become! How have you dealt with all of the attention paid to your various projects?
Neige: How do I deal with it? This is hard to say, for sure I am glad for this, but I don't worry myself too much with these things. The most important thing is to be satisfied with your own records, and this is harder than it seems. The reactions to this new album are exactly how I expected them to be: very divided. There are as many listeners who appreciate our sound as ones who completely hate it. I actually prefer that kind of feedback than something ‘positively neutral’…which doesn't really mean anything.
Blistering.com: Do you know instinctively for which project an idea is meant for when it comes about? Does it ever become difficult to internally dissect one’s own creative process and habits?
Neige: You know, I used to take my guitar and say to myself ‘I have to compose an Amesoeurs riff’, but this is not the right way to work, in my opinion. Maybe the best way is simply to play; to let the melodies fit your present mood and inspiration until you catch an interesting riff, and then decide in which project you are going to use it. The creative process is really hard to dissect indeed, and the only thing I have learnt about it is that it has no rules, and no system. One day you will find five riffs consecutively and think, ‘good, I will keep on and compose an album in a few days!’ But then you can be totally unproductive for weeks. Lack of inspiration, the sensation not to make enough good songs is simply terrible for me. This can push you really down.
Blistering.com: We’ve discussed in the past how the “shoegaze” archetype was in no way an intentional bit on your part with regards to Alcest; how this music was uninfluenced by bands like Slowdive [though I’m assuming early Cure and Joy Division must be an influence] What, then, do you attribute the headspace of Amesoeurs, especially when sonically compared to Alcest?
Neige: I try to avoid composing consciously for a precise project, but if I feel I really have inspiration for Amesoeurs, most of the time it is coming from my deepest anguishes and frustrations. This was much easier to compose for Amesoeurs than Alcest because it's connected to more ‘human’ feelings and themes. Also because it's always easier to write sad music than the one I play with Alcest.
Blistering.com: What is the current status of Amesoeurs, anyway? Are you active? Have you split? What transpired between the EP and this full length, and how do you think the music contained here on this self-titled effort represents the band in 2009?
Neige: Indeed, the band has split now, but—even though we made just two real releases—I feel that I reached the goal I had in my head when we created the band. The EP and the full length are complementary, and cover all of Amesoeurs universe spectrum. With the album we really pushed the Amesoeurs concept to the extreme. The album is less ‘emotional’ than the MCD, so maybe some people could be disappointed. It smells of disillusion, renunciation and—though there are lots of new wave passages—it generally sounds really cold. There are quite a few vocal parts, a lot of various atmospheres and an uncomfortable feeling.
Blistering.com: Did the songwriting process differ at all for this album, as opposed to the EP? Is there ever an intention when it comes to writing, i.e. to combine the black metal and ethereal styles you do so well?
Neige: Yes, the composing process was quite different in the sense that we wanted to create various soundscapes with the album; to make strong images come to the mind…to be evocative. The EP came out more spontaneously, without caring so much of the descriptive aspect of Amesoeurs music. It was mainly connected to human emotions instead of the imaginary ‘Amesoeurs metropolis’ we used since the beginning of the band as a metaphor of modern world.
Blistering.com: How would you describe your creative relationship with Audrey? Do you think Amesoeurs depends on the dichotomy of personalities between her and yourself?
Neige: Artistically speaking, we always had the same views about Amesoeurs’ music, and how we had to sound…so that was a really great aspect. Otherwise, I guess this collaboration was not easy for both because of our personalities and ways of working.
Blistering.com: Would you say that the multitude of projects you have active reflects an innate desire to creates different kinds of music, or a restlessness of sorts?
Neige: Always making different kinds of music is very exciting for me; it’s like a challenge. I listen to plenty of different genres, so there's always a moment I want to make a band following one of these genres…but I don't, because this reason is never a good one, obviously! I didn't make Amesoeurs because of a capricious desire to mix rock/new wave and metal; our motivations was pure and deeper.
Blistering.com: How has France influenced the way you view music? Do you think your creations could exist if you were born anywhere else?
Neige: This is pretty hard to answer. I can't say how things would be now if I was born in another country, but I tend to think that my music would be so different. Maybe the form, the ‘tools’ I use to express my feelings would change, but the core of it, the essence would be identical for sure. As you may know, Alcest's deep meaning has nothing to do with France, Europe or anything terrestrial.
Blistering.com: Is playing live something which interests you? How does the art of performance affect you?
Neige: Yes, this is something I would like to do again. I don't always see exceptional concerts—especially concerning metal bands, because of the sound quality—but when the sound is good, and that there's a special energy, on stage you can go really far away and have an excellent moment. The last memorable performance I saw was Portishead last year; their show completely blew me away! If everything happens in the right way, I will record the next Alcest album in July and do an American/Canadian tour in November with the awesome shoegaze/post-punk band Have A Nice Life!
