2023 Number 10: Lazuli

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NIELS' TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2023: Number 10
Lazuli – Onze

It’s hard to believe Lazuli are eleven albums in. Lazuli still seem like a bit of a newly-uncovered secret. Known for their unusial instrumentarium, antics around the xylophone, poetic French lyrics and penchant for dreadlocks, they are this singular presence in the rock world, a colour you can’t get anywhere else. I think this is the third or fourth of their albums I’ve heard. It is just as good as their others, and Dominique Leonetti is one of the best singers under the sun. Apparently he’s a great lyricist too, even though as a non-French speaker I’ll have to take that at face value. It does sound a bit less eccentric in comparison to older albums. The album is bit more ballady and melancholy perhaps, and a bit less rough, but it serves Domi’s voice well. And no other band has a Léode player, for the simple reason that only one exists, like Tigger. Beautifully poetic music.