The Black Noodle Project -
Code 2.0


(CD 2020, 44:18, Progressive Promotion Records PPRCD085)

The tracks:
  1- Acte I: Birth/Growing(6:36)
  2- Acte II: Learning/Deception(4:43)
  3- Acte III: Vision Of The World(5:51)
  4- Acte IV: Love(6:18)
  5- Acte V: Going Further/Construction/Stability(6:17)
  6- Acte VI: The Happiness Of Being A Father/
        Having A Family
(7:37)
  7- Acte Final: Attraction Toward Light/Death(6:50)



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I guess I am one of those guys that discovered the French band The Black Noodle Project when they started adding post rock and Opeth related elements to their music. So, basically, my introduction was Ghosts & Memories (2013, see review), a wonderful album, which was followed by the even more beautiful Divided We Fall (2017, see review). TBNP was initiated by Jérémie Grima and from their second album on he found a second full member in guitarist Sébastien Bourbeix. For their latest album, Code 2.0 Grima took time off to work on his new novel, leaving Bourdeix in charge of the release. Together with a rhythm section, consisting of two previous band members; bass player Fabrice Berger and drummer Anthony Létévé Code 2.0 was recorded.

Where on the older albums, elements of Pink Floyd would meet space wave and post punk, the focus on Code 2.0 lays on a very pleasant form of accessible post rock, added with cinematic elements and less vocals. The presented vocals however are in French, these and the use of spoken words adds something intriguing to the band's music. Code 2.0 almost visualises the circle of life in seven acts, from birth until death. Check the opener Acte I: Birth/Growing , where the smooth atmospheric parts are accompanied by outbursts of powerful segments. Or Acte III: Vision Of The World, where the spoken elements create a dense and darker atmosphere, but still retaining the fine melodic grooves of the song. My personal highlight Acte VI: The Happiness Of Being A Father/Having A Family is visualised by a cinematic soundscape, an intriguing guitar and nice melodies and soloing.

Code2.0 is one of the most emotional albums TBNP has released yet. Perfectly captured. Especially, because minimal use of vocals and voices should make it harder to reflect the emotions. I think Grima can be proud of Bourdeix, of what he has archived with this beautiful, mesmerising album.

****+ Pedro Bekkers (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen)

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