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From their inception in 2008 to their current 2024 format, the metamorphosis of the French band L’Etrangleuse has been an interesting one. Originally a duo comprising Maël Salètes on guitar and vocals and Mélanie Virot on harp and vocals, the Lyon-based outfit has, since the end of 2022, expanded to a quartet following the arrival of Anne Godefert on bass and Léo Dumont on drums, who joined immediately after the release of the group’s third album, Dans Le Lieu Du Non Où, in 2019.
Since that release, Maël has left Geneva’s experimental rock big band, Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp, an experimental rock big band based in Geneva reviewed here in KLOF, whilst also continuing to play guitar in Somali singer Sahra Halgan’s band.
L’Etrangleuse’s sound has, for some time, also incorporated the djeli n’goni, a traditional West African string instrument made of either wood or calabash covered in dried animal, usually goat skin. The presence of this instrument can be traced back to a visit by Maël to Bamako in 2011 with his friend Aymeric Krol, coincidentally also a member of Halgan’s band, where he received djeli n’goni lessons from the master Abdoulaye ‘Kandiafa’ Koné, who has appeared on recordings by both Vieux Farka Touré and Sidi Touré.
The ten tracks on Ambiance Argile, their fourth album and first for five years, were recorded in just two sessions in a studio in the foothills of the Vercours mountains, some two-hour drive south of Lyon. With all lyrics sung in French, as with previous releases, Mélanie and Maël alternate in taking the lead vocals role, with the latter also being the primary lyricist (Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison and Russell Banks are cited as influences on his writing).
Whilst musically, new directions and explorations are apparent, this album certainly feels more ground-breaking and experimental. Their signature sound has certainly not been abandoned. The folk, both French and African, DIY punk, postpunk, krautrock, and electric desert blues influences still feature, creating a raw energy; the rapport and connection between the musicians is palpable, belying their relatively short existence as a quartet.
The sonic variations on the album, indeed often within individual tracks, frequently render it difficult to believe that one is listening to the same group. The fast and furious, on par with anything in their back catalogue, is well-represented by the first cut, released as a first single, Le Remède. The persistent, pulsating, choppy rhythms and loops are perfectly reflected by the repetitive lyrics, Le remède, le poison (x8), Le ver dans le fruit (x4) (The cure, the poison, The worm in the fruit), whilst the tremendous interplay between harp and n’goni and the soaring, multi-part vocals add their weight to creating a powerful opening statement of intent.
Ornières presents in a similar raucous vein, or at least the song’s first section does. The distorted sound created by the effects employed on Maël’s seething electric guitar, along with the metallic percussion, is avant-garde, almost industrial, think Einstürzende Neubauten or KMFDM, again reflecting the lyrics, La dernière des ornières, Inouï désordre, (The last of the ruts, incredible disorder). Harp and siren-sounding guitar perpetuate this disquiet until the song takes a dramatically different sonic turn at three minutes and four seconds in. The ambiance changes completely as modulated, swirling notes and choral vocalisations replace what has gone before to create a fascinating juxtaposition.
Toureg influences are apparent on Ironie du Sort as n’goni harp and percussion, possibly claves, trade distinctive rhythms before the track develops and settles into a repetitive groove in which there is a most effective jousting between the multiple, higher-pitched vocals in the chorus. Over seven minutes, the intensity and volume creep up incrementally and result in a frenetic, multi-layered feast.
Desert rock sensibilities also permeate two further tracks. On the first of these, Filu ‘E Ferru, initially Anne’s bass is very much to the fore, alongside riffy electric guitar. As the insistent, percussive beats build to a crescendo, once again, there is a sudden change in feeling and mood as Mélanie’s delicate harp cuts in before there is a return to the electric guitar motif and more frenzy. Similarly, in Ambiance Argile, the bursts of electric guitar foment the desert blues feel. In a wonderfully constructed song, the whispered opening vocals, over a repeated n’goni pattern and almost discordant harp notes and Léo’s percussive flourishes, are gradually expanded and amplified, Mélanie’s celestial vocals once more grace proceedings as this busy, robust offering finally ends in an unforgettable climax.
On two songs, the words sung are French translations of poetry written early in the 20th Century by Srecko Kosovel, a Slovenian who had strong political views on the enforced annexation of his country by Italy and who is now considered a major Central European modernist poet, even though he died at only 22 years of age. Les Pins, issued by the group as their second single, features hypnotic beats, high-register harp notes, and a prominent bass line together with multi-layered and textured vocals in a song that speaks to the imagery of pine trees, like old men. Pas de Mort, the shortest piece at around one minute, is a sublime offering. Stripped back to almost a cappella, the multi-tracked harmony again shows the diversity of the group’s music.
Of the remaining songs, La Distance Des Noix again tempts the listener with gentle n’goni, harp, and ethereal vocalisations before the lyrics properly kick in. More industrial sounds act as a counterpoint on a track that ebbs and flows dynamically over almost four minutes. Ennemi is constructed in a similar way to the previous, and indeed other tracks on the album. With its plinky, delicate string notes and whispered spoken vocals, the cross-pollination of crashing instruments and more distorted guitar is very much in the experimental realm.
The final track epitomises what I appreciate about this latest release in terms of its variety. In contrast to much of what has passed before, Etat Normal, with its treated sounds, rich electric guitar, noteworthy percussion and melodic, almost pastoral vocals over minimalist rippling notes, all combine to produce a magnificent, gentle song with which to finish. A Gallic Belle and Sebastian would be my reference point here.
With Ambiance Argile, L’Etrangleuse has produced an album of apparent incongruities of styles, approaches, and sounds, but this is its appeal. Sonically, it is frequently richly hypnotic, and with seductive voices in abundance, the journey offered within is rewarding. Fans of David Byrne will want to listen to this one.
Ambiance Argile is released on 7th June 2024 via La Curieuse.
Pre-Order via Bandcamp: https://letrangleuse.bandcamp.com/album/ambiance-argile-2
You can also hear them in our latest Monday Morning Brew Playlist.
