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Saddam Webcam — Exc​è​s de Beurre et Ruine Morale
(Dur et Doux DD, 2023, DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2023-10-15

Exc​è​s de Beurre et Ruine Morale Cover art

Over the last few years, we’ve covered a lot of bands from Lyon, ranging from solo artists (Anthony Béard, LFant) to duos like Pili Coït up to large ensembles like Le Grand Sbam, and there’s a variety of style as well, though most of them rate fairly high in both the intensity and complexity. Many of the groups also share members. In the case of Saddam Webcam, we’ve encountered vocalist Jessica Martin Maresco before in both Pili Coït and Le Grand Sbam, and here she’s working with two members of a band called Cougar Discipline, which I was previously unfamiliar with (they have a few songs on Bandcamp, so you can check them out if you like). Saddam Webcam certainly fits in with the trend of intensity and complexity. Their songs are built on muscular drumming and distorted bass along with Maresco’s wide-ranging vocals. There are frequent changes in tempo, with the bass filling in chords to cover what a guitar might normally do. Maresco is a superbly versatile singer, sweet and gentle one moment and furiously raging the next. Her melodies leap acrobatically to unexpected notes, and she occasionally tosses off an agile run reminiscent of a coloratura soprano (I don’t know if that’s technically correct, but it feels like an apt comparison, and her bio does say she studied opera starting at a young age). She’s also not averse to odd vocal noises and the odd scream here and there. “Saké Chaud” is a pure blast of energy that sums up the group’s aesthetic, not even three minutes long, but so crammed with ideas and sounds it’ll leave you dizzy, and the other tracks are equally engaging. For those who’ve been following the bands from Lyon, Saddam Webcam is another fine addition, and for newcomers, keep in mind that other bands, while similar in some ways, vary widely in sound.

Filed under: New releases, 2023 releases

Related artist(s): Saddam Webcam

More info
http://saddamwebcam.bandcamp.com/album/exc-s-de-beurre-ruine-morale

 

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