Clair De Lune

Assisted Living

[3.5/5] There’s a palpable sense of frustration running through Clair De Lune’s Assisted Living-whether it’s with pill-popping wasters (“She drowns in suicidal sanctuary/Think she’ll bleed it out?”), social alienation (“Guide me by manipulation/Black heart charades”) or excessive consumerism (“Your greedy luxuries are a cancer in your gut/The sores in your heart”). But while most of these outbursts never lead to satisfactory answers or solutions, the tension inherent within the Minneapolis quintet’s music makes Living incredibly dynamic-and completely uncategorizable. Think a more nuanced At The Drive-In crossed with the moody atmospherics of Cursive, all thrown together with post-punk spikes, solid hardcore breakdowns and startlingly beautiful orchestral moments (the string-laced instrumental “Winning Over Grief And Sorrow” and the piano-distressed “Shadow Companion,” only available digitially). (DEEP ELM) Annie Zaleski