La Démesure du pas
Ormo, 2024
8/10
A highly creative assembly of Matthieu Prual, Carol Robinson, Gabriel Lemaire, Toma Gouband and Joris Ruhl, the 12 songs here are full of unpredictable and experimental ideas.
“Somewhere” opens the listen with strong attention to mood, where a distinct droning emits the sounds of nature, too, and “Marche dans l’epaisseur” follows with a soothing quality, as Prual’s dissonant sax is met with Gouband’s distinct percussion.
In the middle, “Marche fictive” recruits wordless vocals and Robinson’s squealing clarinet to the cultured delivery, while “Sainte Marguerite” brings field recordings into soft layeres of manipulated sound that’s uniquely intimate.
Landing near the end, the tense “Eau to crunch” carries a nearly sci-fi appeal of glitchy noise, and “After” exits with a bare moment of bright alto sax from Lemaire via the sparse but colorful finish.
A truly imaginative outing, each selection is distinct from the previous one, and the solo, duo and quartet settings radiate wonder, mystery and awe.
Travels well with: Bear Of Bombay- PsychoDreamElectroGaze; Mr Diagnonal- Join The Dots