Cyann & Ben reviewed
Cyann & Ben
Sweet Beliefs
(Ever)
Originating from the same eastern French town that spawned poet Arthur Rimbaud, Cyann & Ben make a rattle all their own.
The indistinct opening lines of Sweet Beliefs, “Eyes to eyes/Face to face,” must be an in-joke. Cyann & Ben almost pride themselves throughout the album on being as indirect as possible, taking the full 51 minutes to get this tumbling collage of anguish to unfold. While most of the hushed vocals and squealing feedback point to Yo La Tengo (around Painful and Electr-o-pura) as a reference, the Parisian duo throw any love of pure, sweet pop music to the curb and violently ground it into the pavement like an insolent cigarette butt. Not all of Sweet Beliefs is so obtuse; the ethereal coda to “Sunny Morning” is sublime in the way it slowly opens the drapes to witness an ominous sky speeding overhead. Conversely, “In Union With” gets taken by the wind too easily, despite some contrived attempts with a guitar to make it stay. Ultimately, that’s the battle the rest of the way: For every pulsating come-on like “Guilty,” there’s an equally unstriking sleeper like “Let It Play.” “Somewhere In The Light Of Time,” the most “concise” cut offered, could even use a trim before the elongated outro, “Sparks Of Love,” unwinds.
— Steve Forstneger
