Fresques Sur Les Parois Secretes Du Crane
Cmptrstdnts, 2023
8/10
Listen to Fresques Sur Les Parois Secretes Du Crane
A French duo whose inception goes back to the late ‘90s, Vincent Beysselance (drums) and Thomas Bonvalet (electro-acoustic guitar) make up Cheval De Frise, and this debut album from 20+ years ago lives again in an expanded form.
“Lucarne des combles” begins the listen with firm acoustic guitar and agile drumming making for warm versus busy gestures, and “Bora Lustrai” follows with very swift dynamics that mesh the flowing guitar alongside acrobatic drumming.
Occupying the middle spot is the firm and soft ideas of “Songe de perte de dents”, where a bit of rumbling enters the reflective mood, while “Fresques sur les parois secrètes du crâne” carries no lack of melody amid the precise instrumentation that benefits much from the crisp drums.
The final tracks, “IX” and “Chiendent”, are just as exciting, as the former is a complex and artistic representation of Bonvalet’s skill that exhibits a rare dreaminess that swirls with charm, and the latter is quite mesmerizing and a fitting closer.
A somewhat hidden treasure in the area of mathy, somewhat prog inspired rock, Fresques Sur Les Parois Secretes Du Crane sure has aged well, and is available on LP and cassette for the first time.
Travels well with: Rifo- Betel; Gilles Poizat- Champignon Flamme