Tuesday 8 March 2022

Aquaserge - Musique Polymorphe

 


Short bio:
Aquaserge’s resolutely polymorphous music draws from sources as diverse as original psych pop, free jazz, noise, vintage French film music, pataphysics, and the most adventurous side of ’60s/’70s rock (say, from kraut to Canterbury to cult Gallic bands such as ZNR). All absorbed and playfully transmuted to create their own unique, cinematic sound. Their tracks include instrumental excursions, intriguing harmonies, and pristine pop songs, always ready to joyfully burst at the seams.

Aquaserge formed in Toulouse in early 2005 and recorded their debut release, "Un". The "Tahiti Coco" EP was recorded later in the year, and released in 2008. Un & Deux, the band's first CD, was released in 2009. Aquaserge's next album was "Ce Très Cher Serge", released in 2010. Aquaserge then collaborated with American indie pop star/Francophile April March for a self-titled album, released in early 2013. The following year, saw the release of the abum "A l'Amitié" and 12" EP "Tout Arrive".

In 2016, Aquaserge signed to long-running Belgian experimental label Crammed Discs, releasing the "Guerre" EP and appearing on "16 Visions of Ex-Futur", an album of reworked versions of songs from Véronique Vincent and Aksak Maboul's "Ex-Futur Album". Aquaserge's first full-length on Crammed Discs was "Laisse Ça Être", released in 2017. The group's first live album, "Déjà-Vous?", followed in 2018. In 2021, the band released "The Possibility of a New Work for Aquaserge", which included interpretations of compositions by Edgard Varèse and Morton Feldman, as well as homages to Györgi Ligeti and Giacinto Scelsi.



Not much I can really add to the above opening paragraph about this rather special group, having only got into them around 5 years ago, after hearing their 2017 album "Laisse Ça Être". That's probably my favourite album by them, but as ever they're all worth getting, though maybe their latest is a bit more challenging..! This collection takes tracks from all their studio albums, apart from their debut, plus a couple of EPs and a couple of tracks taken from compilation albums. As ever, info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you enjoy this latest collection.


1. La Femme de Tahiti (8:31)
2. TVCQJVD (3:49)
3. L'Ire Est au Rendez-Vous (5:38)
4. Sybarite
[with April March] (3:19)
5. Les Vacances (3:39)
6. Vers le Néant (3:22)
7. Un Grand Sommeil Noir (4:23)
8. Je Viens (4:28)
9. Endormons-Nous (2:47)
10. C'est Pas Tout Mais (5:33)
11. Retrouvailles (3:03)
12. Sparklers
[with April March] (2:33)
13. 1768°c (À Edgar Varèse) (6:59)
14. Les Oiseaux (2:49)
15. Si Tu T’en Vas (4:03)
16. Tout Arrive (3:10)
17. Tintin On Est Bien Mon Loulou (6:00)
18. Sillage 3 (3:49)

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