Passion ArmÁ©e
A review of the
self-released 12″
by Lyon, France’s
PASSION ARMÉE
from MRR #327
It’s the sunniest day of the year so far in San Francisco, and I’m sitting in the plush Maximum Rocknroll offices listening to icy French cold wave… It’s not a winning combination, but to PASSION ARMÉE’s credit, they’re helping me forget that it’s actually a nice sunny summer’s day and reminding me that life is in fact a relentless existential struggle and in the end we all die alone. The French seem have a knack for this style, from the original cold wave sounds of the ’70s through to recent bands like FRUSTRATION. The six songs here fit nicely in that tradition. Repetitive minor-chord bass lines, cut-glass guitar and occasional keyboard stabs set the scene for detached vocals that remind me a lot of the singer from THE EX. I understand that the band has broken up since recording this disc — that’s a shame. Great stuff.
— Allan McNaughton
