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Lyon’s L’Étrangleuse release their new album, Ambiance Argile, this Friday (7th June) via La Curieuse. For this, their fourth album, they have been reinvented and expanded from a duo to a quartet featuring Maël Salètes (vocals, guitar, djeli n’goni), Mélanie Virot (vocals, harp), Anne Godefert (bass) and Léo Dumont (drums).
As mentioned in our album review yesterday (read it here), their eclectic styles, approaches, and sounds are what make them so appealing, touching on postpunk, electric desert blues, and upending the folk tradition. Also mentioned in David’s review is their intense raw energy, and a palpable rapport and connection between the musicians, belying their relatively short existence as a quartet.
Watch their latest video, Le remède, made by Pied Main Films and choreographed by Aurore Schatzman. As mentioned in the album notes, their core sound is surprisingly deceptive:
In 2011, before L’étrangleuse released any music, Maël visited Mali’s capital, Bamako, with his friend, drummer Aymeric Krol – who would later join Sahra Halgan’s band too. This is where Maël got some game-changing djeli n’goni lessons from Abdoulaye ‘Kandiafa’ Koné, a master of the instrument who’s played it on recordings by Sidi Touré and Vieux Farka Touré, among many others. Despite its structural simplicity, the n’goni – a lute-like instrument fashioned from wood and goatskin – demands its own compositional mindset: treating it as interchangeable with other stringed instruments won’t pass muster, and Maël’s understanding of this is perhaps the key to Ambiance Argile’s creative splendour.
With Le remède, their intuitive musicianship and interplay shine through. Listen to Maël’s n’goni playing and the interplay with Mélanie Virot’s harp. Driven by Dumont’s percussion and Godefert’s bass, they collectively create an irresistible and engaging sound.
Ambiance Argile will be released on 7th June 2024 via La Curieuse.
Pre-Order via Bandcamp: https://letrangleuse.bandcamp.com/album/ambiance-argile-2
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