It’s only natural when you see the name THE INSPECTOR CLUZO, you associate it with the famous sleuthing detective from The Pink Panther series. Only this time it’s not him solving the mystery. Listening to their upcoming album Brothers In Ideals and some of their backlog, I am finding their unusual sound intriguing. It’s different to what I have heard before. There is some complexity within their sound, yet there is some catchiness about it. You can’t help but listen to find out more.
Brothers In Ideals will be the third studio album from THE INSPECTOR CLUZO. This is an acoustic re-imagining of their 2018 breakthrough album We The People Of The Soil. It was inspired by a 2016 acoustic for ARTE-DEEZER in the house of Artur Rimbaud and popular demand from their fans. Fun fact, the band weren’t originally planning on releasing this record but after listening to this record I am very glad they did.
Like in We The People Of The Soil, Brothers In Ideals starts off with A Man Outstanding In His Field. Listening to both renditions of these tracks side to side was an interesting experience. The original track is rather heavy and if you were to tell me that there is an acoustic rendition of this track, I wouldn’t have believed it. On Brothers In Ideals however, they manage to prove that an acoustic rendition of this track is possible and it’s done to the highest standard. They both sound like completely different songs, this is a great thing by the way.
When listening to Brothers In Ideals, I listened to it alongside We The People Of The Soil. What I admire about Brothers In Ideals is that they didn’t just do acoustic renditions of the fast, heavy tracks. They unplugged the less distorted slower tracks as well. Whether it was a high energy, distorted track or a soft ballad, the acoustic renditions of both these sounded great. Below are just a few highlights from the record.
The Best is a track that is suited for those lazy days where you want to kick back and relax, yet the commanding tone from the song requires your undivided attention. From listening to both albums back to back, I concluded that The Best is one of my personal favourite tracks. I particularly like the duet between THE INSPECTOR CLUZO vocalist Malcom Lacrouts and guest vocalist Marianne Dissard. Marianne’s smooth, fragile vocal work provides a fantastic contrast to Malcom’s husky tones. The melody of this song is also stunning. In the acoustic rendition, the energy fuelled tunes from the distorted guitars are replaced with beautiful tunes from the piano and violin.
In both renditions of We The People Of The Soil, you feel a great sense of empowerment. You feel like standing on a pedestal and shouting the opening lines of the song to a huge crowd of people. This empowering vibe is backed by an upbeat tempo and lyrical content that makes you feel invincible. I can imagine the heavier rendition of this track is a favourite at live shows. Feeling the same sense of empowerment from the acoustic version, I think it will still be a favourite.
The beginning of Little Girl And The Whistlin Train reminds me of THE ANIMALS classic House Of The Rising Song. This is in terms of the acoustic introduction and the tune but not so much that you can’t tell the songs apart. On the album We The People Of The Soil, this is one of the less distorted tracks on the album. On Brothers In Ideal, it’s completely stripped. The bluesy melody and whistling help you forget your troubles for five minutes, this is another relaxing track that requires your undivided attention.
Both albums end with the song Brothers In Ideals. With the humbling melody, the song provides the perfect farewell. It also reassures us that they will see us again soon. Whether you are a long-time fan of the band or a new listener, everyone is welcome to experience the acoustic album Brothers In Ideals.
Rating: 8/10
Words: Lotty Whittingham
Brothers In Ideals will be released 17th January.
Find THE INSPECTOR CLUZO on Facebook, Twitter and their official website.
