No, not Lamine Jamal; the football’s over. Pay attention.
Le Maine is a Swedish purveyor of “cinematic, alternative pop” with Tove Blum the vocalist. (Tove Bloom in English. What a great name. And I’ll bet she has one).
She’s also Marketing Director for a children’s cultural centre in Stockholm. You see, we do our research at NMC although I’m not sure what value that information has to you!
Le Maine just released a dual single package of the songs ‘Clouds’ and ‘Pilgrims’. Collectively they are the first taste of the band’s forthcoming album, which will be released later this year and they form a musical diptych; two sides of the same story from opposing points of view, and about falling freely and slowly regaining your footing.
Specifically they concern the odd duality of grief – how it both breaks down and gives perspective on what actually means something.
So, ‘Clouds’ is the story of black grief. About holding your breath and at the same time trying to carry yourself while your body is weak and your heart filled with tears. In ‘Pilgrims’ the story continues but the heavy heart is replaced by the first breath after a long night.
‘Clouds’ might whisper but ‘Pilgrims’ raise their gaze towards the light that awaits.
Now, what with diptychs and dualities this all sounds like heavy going but I reconciled it all by thinking about one of my favourites lines in any song, from Nightwish’s ‘Last Ride of the Day’ – “it’s hard to light a candle/easy to curse the dark instead”.
I think that summarises it pretty well.
Cinematic symphonic metal is the name of that band’s game and Le Maine isn’t far divorced from it, minus the metal.
There is such musical grandeur about these songs that if someone told you they were sneak previews from Frozen III, or another Disney epic, you’d be hard pressed to find reasons to disbelieve them.
Ditto the lyricism. This, from ‘Clouds’ is just wonderful:
“Don’t let the clouds crack/ they will bury me in sadness
If the water comes down it will be too much to handle
For someone like me”.
Yep, I can ‘hear’ Idina Menzel singing that in Arendelle. But not as sweetly as Tove Blum.
Similarly in the more up-tempo and poppy ‘Pilgrims’:
“Now we’re pilgrims on the road/I want to sing a song for you
About the wilderness in you/and I will follow where you go…
…And when the mountains are giving up
I’m going to make you climb above”.
Inspirational, or what?
I wish they’d played this to the England football team before they took on Argentina.
(Continues after the Spotify links).
‘Clouds’ and ‘Pilgrims’ are released on all streaming platforms.
Le Maine is:
Tove Blum; Per Ekström; Albin Blum; and Jakob Mellin.
Produced by Per Ekström. Mixed by Stefan Boman.
Find them on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lemaineofficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lemaine/
