EP Review: Ose | Le Mâl à Tress

Today we’ll be occupied by the bizarre case of keyboardist, composer and arranger Le Mâl à Tress and his audiovisual project titled 'Ose'. His first EP is one you can either dive deep into out of curiosity and try to connect the dots, or dismiss entirely for the level of chaos it brings. It’s up to your character. As you know, the Sanctum feeds on experimental, underground projects of this kind and so, without further ado, let’s explore this 3-track piece and make some sense out of it.

MUzeZETTE opens the curtain and immediately drops the listener into a space between a dark circus of your worst nightmares and a Rock-Metal musical. Haunting keys, heavy percussion and ghastly melodies are building, de-constructing and re-building themselves in a maddening frequency that may leave you fatigued if you’re not prepared for it - I wasn’t. MUzeZETTE sounds paranoid, personal, intense and somehow defiant. As if someone is watching you 24/7, judging you, making fun of you every time you fail in life. The -polished- instrumental complexity is possibly an ideal fit for people who have learnt to co-exist with numerous voices in their head. Otherwise, get ready for a ride of anxiety. At this point, I’m choosing to leave the artist’s film references out of this review for -in my opinion- the connection between inspiration and art feels too disparate and personal to comprehend. Now, If you, listener, want to dig into the abyss of this -already over-complicated- EP, do it at your own risk.

The following SUciSSE’ breeds the established aesthetic of a grotesque musical with a strong touch of street culture resulting into an utterly paradoxical piece. The track shines glamorously through its masterfully crafted composition while at the same time spits rhymes like some dropout character in the Watts of LA. SUciSSE is one of the most unapologetically experimental pieces I’ve recently come across. Considering the volume of music out there labeling itself as ‘experimental’ to cover its lack of structure, depth and inspiration, ‘SUciSSE’ makes for a worthy example of the genre for it’s genuinely playful, rebellious and intentional. The ghetto lifestyle imagery of the track’s music video offers a more complete, cinematic experience and can be separately appreciated and discussed. In a nutshell, the abandoned buildings, violent characters and drug abuse are a brutal-honest reflection of the madness people are driven into by today’s political landscape.

The closing CHâTTE sounds like an extension of SUciSSE, more Rock-driven, aggressive, with powerful drums and intriguing additions that make the difference and leave a strong impression. You can’t ignore the funny ‘meow’ over the melancholic piano -a humorous and brilliant- moment or the subtle choir introduced briefly during the second half of the track reminding of how beauty truly lies in the details. What is most interesting to witness now that Ose is almost over, is how elaborately the artist is slowly striping the music of its theatricality as the EP progresses, reaching CHâTTE, a purely Rock track. And that is what’s missing in today’s Single-centered music scene: Bodies of work that tell a story, grow and transform. We need more EPs and albums and you can’t change my mind.

Ose leaves me overwhelmed and drained due to its intense, thick instrumentals while at the same time astonished by the level of imagination and rebelliousness - without risking any of the production quality and grandeur. Le Mâl à Tress dares to be free, uncompromising and even disturbing, provoking us to make art like no one is watching in a world where everyone is. His examplary art finds me in a place where I'm trying to remember my own voice before social media became a thing so, talk about good timing! Until next time, take care!

Listen to Le Mâl à Tress here:

https://www.youtube.com/@lemalatress-artiste