‘t Geruis churns out his fourth album in two years with Bain d’étoiles, which consists of early work. As usual his fragile ambient drifts seemingly endlessly as shards of synthesizer and tapes loop.
And as usual it all still sounds spectral, but now more in an ominous way rather than forlorn. On for instance “De reus ontwaakt” the sinister echoes of a synthesizer reverberate like church bells. “L’echo de l’eau” revolves around an increasingly tense melody.
The grainy texture of his previous albums returns only sporadically, curiously enough on this album’s highlights. White noise permeates the intimate “Quelque chose de perdue”. And “L’appel” fascinates thanks to the soothing samples which sound like someone walking on a gravel pathway.
But too often the synthesizer loops get flat samples as accompaniment, which makes the tracks come across as rather bland and generic. The desolate character of his previous work has disappeared. Hence Bain d’étoiles lacks what makes ‘t Geruis an engaging artist and thus feels like a sidestep in his oeuvre.
Rating: Approach With Caution