Le Concorde, the work of singer-songwriter Stephen Becker has released his full-length effort "Second Mansions," a sweeping set of tunes that sounds timeless and fresh at the same time. Running at just under 55 minutes, this twelve-track record carries listeners through a vivid world of dense synth textures, graceful pop melodies and Becker’s characteristically cosy songwriting.
Spiritually, "Second Mansions" is a love letter to the 1980s golden age of pop, wherein Prefab Sprout, The Blue Nile, Aztec Camera and Scritti Politti were at their peak musically. But this ties influences into something new, intimate and deeply personal, resulting in an album that rewards both the casual fan of indie pop as well as those accustomed to sophisticated songwriting.
The album’s masterpiece “Corpus Christi” is a great example of this as it paints an all-encompassing portrait for the record. Shimmering with airy synths and tender vocals, the song is like sunlight breaking through a cloudy sky, hopeful, fragile and achingly lovely. It exemplifies how Le Concorde can turn busy production into something grounded with real emotional freight.
Another standout, “Jewelry for Your Ears,” is as bright as its name promises. Bubbly arrangements bubble around Becker’s effortless croon, revealing the project at its most playful but also accomplished. It’s a song that feels instantaneously pleasurable but that peels back new layers with repeat listens, and one of the signatures of great pop writing. There are no wasted motions on "Second Mansions," each song carefully composed and executed to fit alongside the next one like a scene in an art film. With dreamy ballads and rhythm-fueled synth-pop gems, Becker continues to demonstrate why Le Concorde is a buried treasure in indie music today.
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