Ici
Carton/Ormo/Pagans, 2022
8/10
A French outfit who are highly experimental and superbly avant-garde, No Tongues use their instruments in unorthodox ways across these 8 intimate and exploratory pieces.
“Kulning” opens the listen with Isabel Sorling’s wordless vocals alongside the quivering brass and manipulated contrabass in the very iconoclastic climate, and “Chien Chien” follows with Linda Olah Et Isaie’s contributions making for a uniquely haunting, cinematic delivery that’s shrouded in mystery.
Halfway through, “Parrandad de entroido de canizo” welcomes Elsa Corre’s expressive singing amid the drumming by way of found objects that’s quite pretty and cultured.
Moving towards the end, “Onze heure trente et une” moves with a mechanical feel that’s also a bit tribal in nature, and “Finis Terrae” exits with dense waves of sci-fi like song craft that’s ominous yet charming.
The band consists of Alan Regardin (trumpet, objects), Ronan Courty (contrabass, objects), Ronan Prual (contrabass) and Matthieu Prual (sax & bass clarinet), and together they birth a noisey, ambient and field recording friendly affair that’s quite captivating.
Travels well with: Gilles Poizat- Champignon Flamme; Rifo- Betel