Gaspard Auge
's first solo album turns away from the new wave influences and attempts at pop songwriting that featured prominently in
Justice
's second and third albums, instead going for a widescreen prog-disco epic that almost seems more like a soundtrack than the score for the absurdist horror flick
Rubber
that he co-wrote with
Mr. Oizo
.
Auge
draws from the salad days of French house as well as the golden eras of space disco and prog rock all at once, crafting flashy, fanfare-like productions packed with intricate details and insistent rhythms, proving that he hasn't lost his touch for creating maximalist dance music. "Force Majeure" bursts forth with grand, stadium-ready keyboard melodies and swift drum fills, hitting a disco stride before introducing fuzzy guitars, rippling synths, and French Touch filtering. "Rocambole" is unabashedly upbeat and sunny, with a cowbell-heavy beat and almost
Supertramp
-like keyboard hooks, along with playfully looped bridges that build up anticipation for the next level. The downtempo tracks are laced with ghostly choral vocals and even Baroque instrumentation, and their dramatic pacing nods to the suspense of vintage horror scores. "Hey!" converts that tension into bombastic disco, placing sharp strings and jagged arpeggios high in the mix, and pausing for a woozy, flashback-like breakdown. The incredibly fun "Captain" and swinging "Lacrimosa" similarly feel a bit drugged and disoriented, which only adds to the thrills. "Belladone" is another expertly paced banger, with more haunting vocals and hypnotic loops that become a hook in their own right, and "Vox" is simply epic synth-disco recalling vintage
Cerrone
. For an album that thinks big,
Escapades
avoids being a sprawling mess, as the songs are incredibly focused and immediate, never trying to stuff too many ideas in, and never overstaying their welcome. It's far more mature than the harsh electro-house of
Waters of Nazareth
-era
, but it feels like a return to that level of creative inspiration. ~ Paul Simpson