Fievel is Glauque is a singular band. The band is led by French vocalist and artist Ma Clément and American guitarist Zach Phillips backed by an expert crew of musicians. They write a kind of lo-fi prog-jazz that is both cerebral and visceral. Their sophomore album, Flaming Swords, transports you back in time to a bizarro Parisian nightclub, where jazzy guitar chords mix with prog-rock licks, smooth saxophones squeal with angular bursts, shuffling drums flirt with breakbeat rhythms, and a sultry vocalist hypnotizes with off-kilter melodic sprechgesang. The album offers eighteen short, punchy songs of non-stop, attention grabbing jams that weave expert musicianship with unexpected song structures and a sense of whimsy.
The songs are unique and unmistakable without being formulaic. The opener “Flaming Swords” starts with blaring horns that ease into fluttery piano keys and a vocal vamp before the final crescendo to a barely contained chaotic wail. The tracks are busy but buoyant: “Boîte à Serpents” plays with the dynamics of its slithering bass and horn line, while tracks like “Save the Phenomena” and “I’m A Place” float along as a kind of duet between saxophone and voice. Infectious, bouncy rhythms and melodies pervade the record (“Wrong Item,” “Porn of Love,” “Less to Be”). You can’t help but be floored by the level of skill on display, especially the ripping, Zappa-esque guitar solos that randomly erupt on tracks like “Days of Pleasure” and “Paging Agent Starling”.
Fievel is Glauque is fresh off their debutante-tour opening for Stereolab, and they are right at home alongside bands that embody a kind of ethereal, spirited instrumentation and erudite musicianship (Men I Trust, Badge Époque Ensemble). Fievel injects this scene with a punk-inspired urgency and fondness for showing off their inimitable talent without ever becoming navel-gazing. The music is complicated but accessible, tightly planned but immediate, bringing an art-school sensibility to the masses. A must listen. - Matt Watton