Yesterday a sample-splicer, today a song-writer, Vadim Vernay is an artist that will always be on the tips of electro-buff’s tongues. His self-taught arsenal of skills, which has already garnered praise from Inrockuptibles and a prize from Printemps de Bourges, combines artistic highs with a drummer’s holistic vision. But it is his voice, with its striking range, that is the watermark of his radiant yet contained third album, “It Will Be Dark When We Get There” – a recording that is perfectly realized by a trio on stage.
The titular reference to William Faulkner, taken from “The Sound and the Fury”, is implicit but also deliberate: “If we go slow, it will be dark when we get there...” Read: if we walk slowly, it will be dark when we arrive. With sound and fury comes boldness and modesty, but also a paean of happy mishaps and taking one’s time. Whether the sun is rising or setting when you listen to “It Will Be Dark When We Get There”, this new electro-Sparklehorsian fable of Vadim Vernay will reconcile you with the times and the rhythms in which we live.