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Elka stands as a perfect example of a self-made and self-promoted band, an example other musicians should follow if they want to get the opportunity to be heard of and talked about. Founded in Paris by singer-songwriter Elka in 2003, the band felt urged to play live and compose music out of a compulsion to do so, as their biography puts it. And that's the most striking feature in their songs:  the whole band has to let go of their pent up anger on live, so as to give birth to a melodic and potent explosion of noise in front of an unknown audience. It’s a risky and daring move, of course; but, after listening to their live tracks, you know that Elka is really successful and inspired.

Elka's voice is a perfect illustration of that inner strength which has to be let go of on stage. Sometimes as sweet as it can be haunted and hypnotizing, his voice may sometimes remind the listener of  Tool's singer, and is a perfect match for the cunning musical structures set up by the band on every track, from mid-tempo songs Lords and Musty Joke to the aggressive and noisy track One Fine Day. The voice compliments each track, finding its own way to illustrate music and to build up a tense and sometimes suffocating atmosphere.  Elka's voice is what links the various, contrasted universes of each song.

There lies another particularity of those songs: they all have their own sound and identity. The handclaps in Musty Joke, which make that song sound like a mix of blues-rock and gospel rhythm, reminding the listener of some songs by The Mission, do not at all foretell what the following track sounds like. Of course, this review focuses on songs taken from different demos, but the songs should be considered as a way to track back how Elka's universe and potential have evolved, a way for the band to show what they can do and how they can both acknowledge their influences and find their own sound.  Lords testifies to the band's evolution as trip-hop rhythms and  violin waves take us to an unexpectedly slow and sad world that Elka’s voice, once again, transcends, going up and down as violins follow the same pattern: it throbs with despair and disillusion as Elka  sings  'Everything's gonna be alright, everything's gonna be fine', though he obviously means quite the opposite. The same vocal melodies can be found in the noisy and sad track Models, a  bittersweet song in which music explores noisy and melodic patterns, structures  and simple arrangements - a guitar build-up in the chorus, then an outburst of noise at the end of the song- , efficiency and minimalism, illumination and darkness, with the spoken words part at the end of the song. That song is a  perfect illustration of the band's diversity and evolution from their first EP The Musty Joke to their second one, Work 2.

We can't but wish we had had a whole record to review, but I’m sure that, after having recorded Work 2, the band is going to bring a whole new dimension to its music. Indeed, that precisely seems to be what the band is doing right now; they've finished building their own studio and are going to start working on some new material. We can't but admire their work because it’s so sincere and true. Then, it is quite a feat to write some original music while being so busy playing regular live sets, building their own studio, and promoting their music…

Perhaps that's one thing that can be sensed in the way they write and play their tunes: each musician has his own 'voice', which easely and almost very professionally merge with the other members' within each song. That's certainly one of the main reasons why each song has its own personality and mood: it's a way for the band to synthesize a particular moment, a particular feeling and thought, and music does give them the opportunity to express those times. So, I might have been wrong when I stated that I was looking forwards to listening to a full album very soon; Elka's music is a matter of spontaneity for it reveals a personal reflection on life in a particular place, at a particular time, and that is why this band sounds so original and true. They set an example for lots of young bands: if you want to cut it, you have to work, give your best, and  take every opportunity. I know it sounds pretentious and idealistic, but it is worth saying it over and over again, as Elka perfectly puts that theory in practice…