The Vinyl Verdict: Alcest, Souvenirs D’un Autre Monde Ten Year Anniversary Edition

Today we’ve got a reissue from Prophecy Records that will definitely have fans of the blackgaze group Alcest interested: their ten-year-old album Souvenirs D’un Autre Monde. I’m not going to pretend I’ve listened to this before (my first experience with the band was Shelter back in 2014), so I’m coming at this from a fresh perspective. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised. Musically the album is fantastic, but I’m sure a lot of you already know that so let’s jump right into the vinyl and packaging.

The re-release is pressed on 180g black vinyl, housed in a gatefold slip featuring the original album’s artwork, a treat for collectors since it hasn’t been used since the first pressings; there’s no limited availability information for this anniversary edition. Souvenirs D’un Autre Monde comes with a Din A2 size (approximately 16.5″ x 24″) of the album’s artwork as well. The whole package retails for $17.99 USD.

The tracklist hasn’t been tampered with, so don’t expect to hear any bonus features. It’s as follows:

Side A:

“Printemps émeraude”
“Souvenirs d’un autre monde”
“Les Iris”

Side B:

“Ciel errant”
“Sur l’autre rive je t’attendrai”
“Tir Nan Og”

“Great. You’ve described it to me, Chain. How does it sound?” Damn good. Prophecy has a trend of releasing great vinyl (see my review of Kodama) and this one is no exception. This record sounds fantastic start to finish, packed with highs and lows that hit anywhere between eight  and 12 according to my dynamic range analysis. The average was around ten for most tracks with the low points being “Souvenirs D’un Autre Monde” and the high point being “Ciel Errant”.

So is it worth picking up? Absolutely. If you’re already a fan of the band this is a no-brainer. If you’re a collector, this isn’t chocked-full of extra goodies but it’s got enough to keep people engaged — the appearance of the album’s original artwork alone ought to be enough incentive — and the poster is a sweet addition. At $17.99 it’s not a steep asking price, either, so if you’re like me and you’re still digging through Alcest’s old catalogue this is a great way to do it.

The reissue of Souvenirs D’un Autre Monde is out now via Prophecy Productions and is available to purchase here (U.S./Canada) and here (rest of the world).