L’Aventure Acoustique was released the same year as their “official” second album, Some Are Lakes, and isn’t a traditional album. It is essentially an acoustic reimagining of Land of Talk’s debut EP, Applause Cheer Boo Hiss, right down to having the same track listing, other than the included two tracks from Some Are Lakes and a cover of “Ghost” by the band Wintersleep.

The main appeal to this album, and the band in general, is the alluring voice of Elizabeth Powell. She delivers a very characteristic tone that still manages to not be abrasive. Her voice is smooth and alluring, but strong enough to be the forefront of the music. A rare mix. From that, you may guess that her voice compliments the subdued acoustics of this album perfectly, and you would be perfectly right. It’s a very natural fit, and everything comes together.

The only thing poor about this album is the execution of the concept. An acoustic album by Land of Talk is a natural idea, but it had a lot more potential than this. Their debut EP that’s covered here is the heaviest release in their discography at the very least, but all this manages to do is take the unique appeal of Applause Cheer Boo Hiss‘s solemn energy and excellent riffs and throw them out the window. Land of Talk is already a lo-fi band, and none of these cuts sound too different from the originals, making them at the worst sound like incomplete versions of the original tracks, and at the least, uninteresting when compared to them. This goes double for the tracks from Some Are Lakes, which is even more subdued than the debut EP, so their sound changes even less, only stripping away some of the layers on the slightly more dense album versions.

Overall, the tracks here are performed nicely, but sound so similar to the superior original cuts that they’ll just make you wish you were listening to them instead. However, the exclusive cover of “Ghost” is short and sweet, and a decent addition to Land of Talk’s library. The rest can be skipped without much consequence. At the very least, however, this album proves that even when broken down to their bare bones, Land of Talk’s songs are very catchy and well-written. A talented band indeed, but maybe they should have waited until they had more material to cover and expand upon the tracks in ways their original album versions didn’t. L’Aventure Acoustique can also serve as an appropriate bridge between the heavier Applause Cheer Boo Hiss and the calmer Some Are Lakes.

Looking for an introduction to Land of Talk? Try their stellar debut EP, Applause Cheer Boo Hiss.