French eccentric debuts new sound in return to solo work
Not known for being the most accessible or identifiable artists, unique Frenchman Florian LeFevre turned the music world on its head earlier in 2014, when he released his debut single, The 5am Conundrum. Previously known more for his temper, his lack of social skills and his seeming disdain for the very people he performed for, the guitarist and vocalist released a track that sent shockwaves through the music industry, with the alt-rock song hitting number one on a number of charts as well as scooping the Chaos Awards for Single of the Year.
Since his unexpected rise to fame, the response from LeFevre has been somewhat predictable - disappearing into himself rather than embracing the fame and coming back strong with a string of singles that would help to strengthen his star power and push him forth as a real powerhouse in music. In fact, far from capitalising, the difficult and eccentric Frenchman has decided to completely scrap the sound that brought him such immediate success, instead exploring a brand new style and tone that comes from his own exploration of music across the USA in recent months. Gone are the polished alt-rock stylings that flooded airwaves in the early spring of this year, replaced with a raw bluesy feel, echoing, dark and atmospheric in style, frantic in execution in A Study Of Life and Death in the 21st Century as Perpetuated by Greed and Hunger.
For Florian, this is an age of growth and a journey, a new era that sets apart his latest works from those that he tackled early in his career. Whereas his earlier pieces were presented in the form of a multi-layered singularity, A Study Of Life and Death in the 21st Century as Perpetuated by Greed and Hunger is recorded in one sitting, one lone take, with LeFevre playing guitar and vocals while his unnamed drummer performs in the same room. LeFevre believes that the single recording allows the emotion of the music to flow more freely, and allows the listener the chance to experience the very essence and lifeblood of what the music was at that moment in time, without any tinkering, and with no go-overs.
As modern rock music goes, A Study Of Life and Death in the 21st Century as Perpetuated by Greed and Hunger is a different piece from what we're generally used to. But when we're dealing with such an off the wall character as Florian LeFevre, it's almost what we come to expect. Musically, it's as tight and impressive as we would come to expect from someone like Florian. It doesn't need to be the best piece in the world, and it probably isn't - but when it's delivered in such a unique package, and with such a strong background story, it almost transcends traditional critique. Conceptually, it's ambitious, dark and glorious, offering a wonderful insight into the current era of Florian LeFevre's constantly firing brain. In terms of the sound, it's hard hitting, moody, meandering and with a fantastically massive chorus that just explodes out of nowhere time and again, bursting free from the more laid back verses. It's dirty, filthy, muddy and somehow fantastically unique.
This is an artist that is not interested in playing by the rules of the industry, and few pieces of music will show his refusal to conform quite like this bluesy masterpiece. The constraints of the modern industry go out the window as he plays with the boundaries of music and invites us into his studio to enjoy the creations, the spills from his own mind. Once again, it's time to open a bottle of red and sit back and enjoy the eccentric wonder that is Florian LeFevre.
Florian says: "The medium is the message. When Marshall McLuhan said this, he was right in execution and wrong in theory. When he said this, he meant that the medium - television in his case - was and is more important than anything that will ever be seen on TV. When I say it, I mean that the medium - music - is merely the vessel of communication. The term "musician" is one that I greatly despise. For myself, I am an artist and not a musician. Music is merely the mode that I choose to present my art. Would you refer to Renoir as merely a painter? I find the lack of distinction between musician and artist to be somewhat disrespectful, and it's a barrier I would like to break.
"As an artist, I have spent much of the last few months immersing myself in the sort of styles of this form I may not have explored in the past. My early works were distinctly European and polished. It was the nature of where I was at the time, both geographically and mentally. But the last few months have allowed me to explore a different feel. Since the end of this prison show, I have spent some time in New York city, presenting my work as a live show time and again. But I have also used my time to explore new genres. I spent some time in Missouri, where I was introduced more to the blues, a styling that I had up until that point under appreciated. I have used those influences gained by living in New York and amongst blues artists elsewhere to forge this new blues-rock style for my current exhibit, for that is what this is. Look at it less as a single and more as a single piece from what will be a larger collection. Open your ears and your eyes.
"If I could use one word to describe this track...it would be "sex". Sex is everything. Everything is sex.
"The progressive period of Florian LeFevre is dead. Welcome the blues era."
Artist: Florian LeFevre
Title: A Study Of Life and Death in the 21st Century as Perpetuated by Greed and Hunger
Genre: Blues-rock
Length: 3:37
Written by: Florian LeFevre
Recorded: New York, NY, USA
Album: Exhibiting the Works of Florian LeFevre - Paris, France (EP)
Label: FlorianSounds like:
How did it look when I came back to life and shocked you
A knife in the back
I tore your skin and drove through
Takin' life for me, drink it all from you
You shook the life out of me
And took a shot at my throne honey
So don't free what I've caught
Your heaven's never bespoke for you
I got a knife full of life and a crypt with your name on it
And a shard through my heart, my blood beats alone for the moneyI never said when
No warnings ever issued then
You fell to the floor
And washed away regrets within
And I'll fall for you
When you swore to me
That these promises we made
Were worth so much fuckin' more than me
You shook the life out of me
And took a shot at my throne honey
So don't free what I've caught
Your heaven's never bespoke for you
I got a knife full of life and a crypt with your name on it
And a shard through my heart, my blood beats alone for the moneyYou shook the life out of me
And took a shot at my throne honey
So don't free what I've caught
Your heaven's never bespoke for you
I got a knife full of life and a crypt with your name on it
And a shard through my heart, my blood beats alone for the moneyNow your blood starts to flow
And I'll refuse to let go
You'll die by my handYou shook the life out of me
And took a shot at my throne honey
So don't free what I've caught
Your heaven's never bespoke for you
I got a knife full of life and a crypt with your name on it
And a shard through my heart, my blood beats alone for the money 