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Thread: Whisky weekend donning New Weirdo French

  1. #1

    Whisky weekend donning New Weirdo French

    As we all know (absolutely every single one of us), much of what's persistenly weirdo in progressive rock seems to somehow emannate in France. They started off (post-Gainsbourg, Brassens, Ferré et al.) by handing Soft Machine the annual prize from L'Academie Francaise for Volume Two in 1969 (an album ca. thrice as altogether radical than the debut King Crimson), then proceeded to generate such firmly bizarro acts as Ame Son, Fille Qui Mousse, Red Noise, Coeur Magique, Gong, Komintern, Igor Wakhevitch, Maajun, Lard Free, Moving Gelatine Plates, Catherine Ribeiro et Alpes, Travelling, Catharsis, Wapassou etc.

    This was also the cultural mentality which triggered an imagined 'market' for conceptual pinnacles like Gerard Manset's La Mort D'Orion, Jean Claude Vannier's L'Enfant Assasin des Mouches, Ilous & Decuyper and the legendary Melody Nelson album by Serge Gainsbourg himself, not to mention the whole endeavour that was Magma and their Zeuhl following.

    Then, when nearing the end of the decade, French Weirdo produced fringe attachments in the shape of Albert Marcoeur, Etron Fou Leloublan, Philippe Besombes, ZNR (Zazou & Racaille), Heldon/Pinhas, Flamen Dialis, Art Zoyd, Mosaïc, Forgas, Pascal Comelade, Pataphonie, Vortex, Art Moulu Trefin, Dün, and countless others - most if not all of them dedicated through motivations of originality and idiosyncracy more than blandly following heel on someone tracking before them.

    Today this 'alternative' vision of what could probably or arguably be deemed progressive contemporary rock lingers on down there, prompting artists to seek a musical language and identity through effervescent flushes of sincere and non-conformist, non-limiting self-insights of oddbally nature.

    So I'll be taking in Jack Dupon, Ghost Rhythms, Ulan Bator, Rien, PoiL, Aquaserge, Ni, Rhûn, XhohX (half Belgian, I know), Syrinx, Stabat Akish, Caillou, Vialka, Camembert, Jac Berrocal, We Insist!, Scherzoo, Sebkha-Chott, Alco Frisbass, Athanor, Jean Louis, Unit Wail and maybe more.

    It's gonna smash.



    Last edited by Scrotum Scissor; 02-26-2016 at 10:28 AM.
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

  2. #2
    Oooh, Unit Wail? Mucho jealousy

    Have a great time, looks like an excellent lineup
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  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Scrotum Scissor View Post
    As we all know (absolutely every single one of us), much of what's persistenly weirdo in progressive rock seems to somehow emannate in France. They started off (post-Gainsbourg, Brassens, Ferré et al.) by handing Soft Machine the annual prize from L'Academie Francaise for Volume Two (an album ca. thrice as altogether radical than the debut King Crimson)...
    We're not QUITE that weird over here.

    The prize Soft Machine got was from the ministry of culture, I think, certainly not from the Académie Française, whose business is to look after the French dictionary, not give awards to musicians, pop or otherwise.
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  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by calyx View Post
    We're not QUITE that weird over here.

    The prize Soft Machine got was from the ministry of culture, I think, certainly not from the Académie Française, whose business is to look after the French dictionary, not give awards to musicians, pop or otherwise.
    Yes, it was a cyptically bad attempt at an insider's joke. I just find it even more ridiculous that a 'Ministry of Culture' would bestowe a freaky rock act with an award like that. But hey! Michael King wrote about it in his Wyatt book, so we should all become wiser after the event.

    And I agree; Finns and Norsemen ar at least as immaculately weirdo as you folks.
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

  5. #5
    Member moecurlythanu's Avatar
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    I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the Syrinx you refer to is not the French Folk act who released a s/t private album in 1976. Rare, but pretty standard/mundane to my ears.

  6. #6
    I'm here for the moosic NogbadTheBad's Avatar
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    Current french scene is indeed fantastic, I saw We Insist! at RIO and to be honest they didn't do much for me. Looking forward to Michel presenting new discoveries again this year. Band I really want to see is the ni PoiL collaboration PinioL.
    Ian

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  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by NogbadTheBad View Post
    I saw We Insist! at RIO and to be honest they didn't do much for me.
    Yes, Ian, I remember that tale. Granted I haven't seen them live, so I can only relate to the Inner Pond album, which is rather good. They should have sung in their mother tongue, though.

    BTW, my downstairs 25-year old neighbours have just noted that I'm home from work, and being a Friday they immediately start pumping trance-hop music - LOUD - while nervously anticipating my own sonic onslaught as usual (which they are trying to outdo in the first place, something they've never succeeded at this far).

    It's time to serve them some Frencho Weirdo. I think I'll start with this:

    Last edited by Scrotum Scissor; 02-26-2016 at 01:05 PM.
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

  8. #8
    I'm here for the moosic NogbadTheBad's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scrotum Scissor View Post
    Yes, Ian, I remember that tale. Granted I haven't seen them live, so I can only relate to the Inner Pond album, which is rather good. They should have sung in their mother tongue, though.
    I pretty much always prefer bands to sing in their mother tongue unless they are called Magma
    Ian

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    Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
    I blame Wynton, what was the question?
    There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.

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    Quote Originally Posted by NogbadTheBad View Post
    I pretty much always prefer bands to sing in their mother tongue unless they are called Magma
    That's a bit vague, ian. is magma's mother tongue french or kobian?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Scrotum Scissor View Post
    BTW, my downstairs 25-year old neighbours have just noted that I'm home from work, and being a Friday they immediately start pumping trance-hop music - LOUD - while nervously anticipating my own sonic onslaught as usual (which they are trying to outdo in the first place, something they've never succeeded at this far).

    It's time to serve them some Frencho Weirdo. I think I'll start with this:

    . It's fantastique. Will check this out. Your neighbores better turn down the brainhammer and listen.

  11. #11
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    The French are NOT weird...


  12. #12
    It got really, really quiet down at my neighbours' apartment after I'd played Piezna Ethnorchestra... Does this mean that they are... d-dead??! Or even worse - that perhaps they... They're not... N-not accustomed to stuff like Piezna and Vialka!?


    oh NO!
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

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    Member Mascodagama's Avatar
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    If they're not packing their suitcases yet you could always follow up with Les Fous d'Or.

  14. #14
    Member moecurlythanu's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mascodagama View Post
    If they're not packing their suitcases yet you could always follow up with Les Fous d'Or.
    Or L' Etrange Mr. Whinster.

  15. #15
    I'm really glad you mention Ghost Rhythms amongst all those wonderful musicians. The French weirdo scene is really great indeed. Cheval de Frise was fantastic, very intriguing, very poetic, I loved them. You are right to mention Gainsbourg and Manset, La Mort d'Orion was like a Graal to me.

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    Member TheH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by moecurlythanu View Post
    I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the Syrinx you refer to is not the French Folk act who released a s/t private album in 1976. Rare, but pretty standard/mundane to my ears.
    The Syrinx that was really meant (sister band to Nil and Thork)


  17. #17
    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    just in case this thread goes to PM land
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

  18. #18
    ^

    There's a whisky & rum Easter coming up. There'll be weirdo German, French, Italian, American, Israeli, Argentinian, Eastern European, Canadian and Norwegian then. And some from Iceland as well. And Japan.

    Plus egg-nog.
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

  19. #19
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scrotum Scissor View Post
    ^

    There's a whisky & rum Easter coming up. There'll be weirdo German, French, Italian, American, Israeli, Argentinian, Eastern European, Canadian and Norwegian then. And some from Iceland as well. And Japan.

    Plus egg-nog.
    Sounds like a good time. I'm there!!

  20. #20
    Member Socrates's Avatar
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    Whourkr would clear the whole building.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Socrates View Post
    Whourkr would clear the whole building.
    If that’s the band with the “4247 Snare Drums” album on the Ad Noiseam label, I just listened to 4/5 of the whole thing on YT now. It sounds like a short-circuited droid beset by spasmodic eructations. Fascinating, if a bit nerve racking IMO.
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  22. #22
    Member Zeuhlmate's Avatar
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    Whourkr - its so crazy it makes me laugh

  23. #23
    I'm here for the moosic NogbadTheBad's Avatar
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    The brother band Igorrr is pretty odd too.
    Ian

    Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
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    Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
    I blame Wynton, what was the question?
    There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.

  24. #24
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zeuhlmate View Post
    Whourkr - its so crazy it makes me laugh
    Is that like Worker?

  25. #25
    Sebkha-Chott's Nagah Mahdi from 2006.

    This is an insane recording; SO consistently well done, so packed and impossibly intricate with ideas and whimps that turn out to be integral juxtapositions to amazingly detailed level - like Lumpy Gravy merged with Disco Volante by Mr. Bungle. Production values are excellent as well. From what I understand, a couple of these folks (from a dozen-or-so members) are involved in prominent French hip-hop acts, and it shows/plays.

    But in a sense, they were an omen; if music as astonishingly accomplished as this can conjure up as limited a following as evidently documented, then what the hell is there to expect from an upcoming?
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

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