The most striking aspect of Thousand Shadows Vol.1 is its meticulous production, due to the presence of James Goodwin (producer of the last sumptuous records of This Is The Kit, Kevin Morby and Wand) and the scrupulous work of sound engineer Théophile Durand, amplifying all the precise and conscientious songwriting that the project has never ceased to evolve with its records and its live experiences.

The fuzz guitars are more abrasive than ever, no longer trying to inspire the quietude of previous albums, but rather to highlight the constant dialogue of the voices and the six strings, as well as the variations present in each track, an indelible trademark of You Said Strange. "Mourning Colors" introduces this fearsome and immediately captivating variation, this sonic novelty permeating the eight chapters of a work that burns and ignites slowly but surely.

Melodically, the arrangements unite with the rhythmic in order to amplify the exchanges between instruments and choirs, while concealing, behind walls of sound each with its own personality, the identity of these thousands of shadows that we meet at the bend of the keyboards of "So Sorry", the brilliant solo of the eponymous track or the unpredictable rock dissonances of "Mediterranean" or "Treat Me", exciting and innovative impulsive turns of the Norman project. The impact is more universal, not hesitating to wet the shirt and to leave the comfort zones of the psychedelic to strengthen the harmonies and the effects produced on the listener, passing then from the state of paradoxical sleep to the frenzy and to the irrepressible desire to spend itself without counting, to obey the demons invoked by the musicians.

The composition is racy and ambitious, exploring the capacities of an artistic experience of more than five years. Beyond a few faithful returns to the origins ("Talking To The Rats"), the changes of pace and creative choices jump to the face of an audience first astonished, then seeing its habits and convictions upset by the acceptance that You Said Strange made of its desires of electricity and power. Lulled by sweet suspended moments, as during the use of the introductory choirs of "Run Away", “Thousand Shadows Vol. 1” is a race against the clock, a festival of strong emotions and diabolic delights that the ultimate "Landed" finally calms. The ambient roughness is intelligently enhanced by a meticulous studio work, the result of three years of reflection spent to refine the smallest details of the work.

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