Sommes
Tour de Bras, 2021
8/10
A Quebec rooted collective with a penchant for improvisation and the ability to use guitars, strings, wind instruments and percussion in entirely iconoclastic ways, Le GGRIL play a very art and noise influenced version of free jazz across these 3 discs.
“Alice” starts the listen with some unpredictable string plucking amid some unique atmosphere to set the mood, and “Chat (Luke)” continues this journey with bowed strings explored strategically.
Further into the listen, “To That Well (Lisa Cay Miller)” unfolds across 17 minutes of busy brass, string and harp rumbling with a very charming fusion appeal, while “Éistphéist” welcomes Martin Arnold’s precise banjo into the dreamy foundation that quivers with mystery. “Rivers And Mountains Remain”, one of the album’s best, then moves minimally with ambience and a strong manipulation of mood and space.
Approaching the end, the low buzzing of “CUMULI” puts forth an ominous tone that nearly seems mechanical, and “Une note n'écoutant qu'elle-même” swirls with fascinating strings surrounding sparsely plucked guitar that eventually builds into a dizzying and infectious energy.
Trying to comprehend or classify Sommes would be an exercise in futility. Instead, just enjoy it for the sonically challenging and experimental 211 minutes of sounds you’re not going to hear anywhere else, where accordion, violins, many different kinds of guitars, synth, oboe, and bass clarinet, among others, are along for the adventure.
Travels well with: Alex Lefaivre Quartet- Naufragés; Jonathan Bauer- Sings & Plays