Hey everyone!

After a long break, I’m ready to share some progressive sound blends with you again. Today, we’re diving into the music of the French progressive rock-jazz fusion band, Esthesis. Esthesis released their first album, “The Awakening,” in 2020. In 2022, they followed up with their second studio album, “Watching Worlds Collide.” Thanks to this new album created by the mastermind and multi-instrumentalist Aurélien Goude and his talented team, Esthesis is becoming a more recognized name in the progressive rock scene, which I still consider to be somewhat underground. I’ve also realized that I have a special interest in French bands, thanks to Esthesis. I previously wrote a review for another French band, Altesia. There’s something about this country’s music that really connects with me.

“Watching Worlds Collide” is an album full of various instruments and emotions. From start to finish, it feels like it’s telling the story of a psychological disorder, or even a mental hospital. Genre-wise, it’s heavy on jazz influences but also incorporates elements of electronic, rock, metal, and ambient music. On first listen, you can easily hear influences from Porcupine Tree and Pineapple Thief. The traffic and use of clean vocals in some tracks support this impression. However, I don’t want to box Esthesis in by just comparing them to these two bands. I find the album innovative. When you look at the list of contributors, it’s clear it’s a large and skilled team. Anything less would have been disappointing.

The six-minute opening track, “Amber,” immediately draws you into this mental hospital movie. It has a deep ambiance, with a blend of keyboard, bass guitar, and saxophone creating a calm yet dark vibe. When the vocals come in and the song progresses, it moves towards a more positive space and the energy rises. But Aurélien never lets us stray too far from the darkness, always bringing us back.

One of my favorite tracks, “Place Your Bets,” changes the album’s vibe a bit. It’s one of the tracks where the rock and funk sound is more prominent. The bass guitar’s movement throughout the track keeps us grounded in the moment. The harmony between Aurélien and Mathilde’s vocals leaves us with memorable melodies. Near the end, we get a jazzy-funk saxophone solo followed by a keyboard solo reminiscent of 70s progressive rock. The vocal melodies, long instrumental solos, and lyrics that evoke a mental hospital make “Place Your Bets” one of the standout tracks on the album.

Next up is “Skimming Stones,” which you can think of as the patient’s most sorrowful and traumatic memory in this mental hospital allegory. The gentle and sparse beginning with maracas and piano is joined by Aurélien’s delicate vocals. The whistling sound and heartbeat-like beats in the background take us back to a past memory. Wherever your imagination takes you, that’s where you’ll go. In the second half of the song, Mathieu’s violin appears. “Skimming Stones” is an emotional piece from start to finish, becoming even more poignant with the violin and then fading out.

“Wandering Cloud” has many sections that I like, but overall, I was a bit bothered by the guitar tone. There are several notable details in the track. For example, the voice coders Aurélien uses in this song remind me a bit of Cynic. Cynic also created a similar blend of metal and jazz in their time. The most notable feature of Cynic was Paul Masvidal’s use of voice coders. So, not recalling Masvidal here would be an oversight. “Wandering Cloud” is also rich in bass guitar, with the surprise addition of a banjo. As a concept that brings together many cultures, “Wandering Cloud” is one of the tracks that captures the listener’s attention.

“Vertigo” feels like it belongs in a black-and-white detective film, with its higher tempo and energy compared to the other tracks. It reminded me of Pilli Bebek’s “Sabbah.” Although not an exact match, they both communicate a similar “chase music” vibe. There’s a guitar solo that dominates the second half of the song. I think the piece could have risen to greater heights with a better-constructed solo.

As we approach the end of the album, the longest track, “57th Street,” begins to play. At 12 minutes long, “57th Street” evoked a lot of different emotions in me. Like its title suggests, the song starts with the noise of a street, taking me back to the mental hospital. The 12-minute length might seem daunting, but I’m not sure if the same effect could have been achieved in a shorter time. The song doesn’t stay the same throughout, but overall, it feels like a dark jazz piece with modern rock vocals. After the 6-minute mark, it transitions back into “chase music.” Mathilde’s backing vocals sound very gentle here. Aurélien and Mathilde have definitely found a great harmony.

The album closes with “Through My Lens,” where the drums primarily use cymbals and the saxophone stands out the most. Once again, the guitar tone bothered me. Among all the rich instrumentation, the guitar tone felt too raw. Despite the lengthy preparation for Baptiste Desmares’ guitar solo, it didn’t end up being satisfying. Because of these reasons, “Through My Lens” isn’t one of the strongest tracks on the album.

“Watching Worlds Collide” managed to show us a black-and-white, mental hospital, detective film through its fusion of jazz/dark jazz and progressive elements. I can say that I was satisfied with the instrumentation and composition throughout the album, aside from the guitar. “Place Your Bets” and “57th Street” are my humble recommendations. Enjoy listening!

Band Members:

• Arnaud Nicolau: Drums
• Aurélien Goude: Vocals / Keyboards
• Baptiste Desmares: Guitars
• Marc Anguill: Bass
• Axel Foucan: Guest / Trombone
• Maceo Le Fournis: Guest / Tenor Saxophone
• Mathieu Vilbert: Guest / Violin
• Mathilde Collet: Guest / Vocals and Backing Vocals
• Vincent Blanot: Guest / Banjo, Percussion
• Yannis Beugré: Guest / Trumpet

NOTE: I’d also like to mention that I got to know Esthesis after the release of this album. I haven’t managed to build such a connection with local bands from other countries. But both Altesia and Esthesis have brought me closer to France’s music scene. This review was supposed to be published much earlier, but due to the earthquake disaster we experienced, I couldn’t get it out on time. During this period, the band made a post on their social media, tagging me and expressing their concern for someone they care about in Turkey, sharing some donation links. That day, I once again realized how unifying music can be. Thanks, Esthesis!