Formed in 1977 by Marc Hollander and Vincent Kenis, the Belgian avant-rock band Aksak Maboul returned to action after a lengthy hiatus in 2010. Having released a fantastic record, Figures, in 2020, they return with the startlingly well-conceived Une aventure de VV (Songspiel) as Vol. 48 in Crammed Discs’ Made to Measure composers’ series. Consisting of one 63-minute continuous suite broken into 15 tracks and with Véronique Vincent’s text a primary element across the piece, the whole has been likened to the tradition of experimental audio plays and non-traditional stage works. Featuring numerous guests including Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab, its out on 2LP and CD March 3.
Along with co-founding Aksak Maboul, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Marc Hollander also formed the Crammed Discs label in 1980; the Made to Measure series commenced in 1984 with a various artists album featuring Tuxedomoon, with that outfit’s Blaine L. Reininger contributing violin to Une aventure de VV (Songspiel).
This album’s two main contributors are Hollander (piano, organ, synthesizers, alto sax, clarinet, bass clarinet, acoustic and electronic percussion, programming, field recordings, backing vocals) and Véronique Vincent (voice). Both are credited with writing Une aventure de VV, which also features Faustine Hollander (vocals), Lucien Fraipont (guitars), and Erik Heestermans (drums and percussion), plus guest vocals from the Berlin-based Spanish musician Adrián de Alfonso a.k.a. Don the Tiger, John Pearce a.k.a. Alig Fodder of Family Fodder, and Audrey Ginestet and Benjamin Gilbert of Aquaserge.
The album’s titular parenthetical is a beautifully succinct way to describe the dual focus on music and narrative. The story details the adventures of VV, who loses the ability to speak and then sets out on a long walk, stopping to take a nap in a cabin along the way. From there, things really get strange, as VV enters a forest and begins having conversations with birds, trees, and rocks (as one does). She also encounters a funambulist (Ginestet), The Scribe (Gilbert), The Woman (Laetitia Sadier), and keeps the company of her shadow (Don the Tiger).
Une aventure de VV (Songspiel) is an ambitious undertaking, but it flows exceptionally well. It should come as no surprise that sequential listening (but not necessarily uninterrupted play, vinyl fans) is essential, and further enhanced by reading along with the 20 page libretto that accompanies the release. But if soaking up the record sequentially is a must, it’s not the only way to engage, as the Bandcamp download comes with five standalone (non-crossfaded) tracks and a radio edit of “La parole de la peau.”
That “La parole de la peau” is basically this album’s “single” makes sense, as it’s one of the record’s highlights, its atmosphere redolent of sophisto jazz-tinged ’90s electronica. The vocals in French also suggest Stereolab a bit, a similarity that’s understandably a little stronger during the consecutive tracks “La mur” and “The Eraser,” both of which feature Sadier. But the guest contributor with the deepest overall impact is Reininger, whose violin is heard in four of Une aventure de VV (Songspiel)’s tracks. He shines in “La tempête” and especially during the ominous cinematic tension of “Dans les airs.”
However, it’s Vincent and Hollander who shape the proceedings, the music integrating a variety of methods and genres to reinforce that Euro-avant rock is alive and well in 2023. It should be stressed that Une aventure de VV (Songspiel)’s 63 minutes breeze by, even on repeated listens. Furthermore, Vincent’s voice is warm and inviting throughout, and her imagination is to be cherished. That Aksak Maboul, a group formed 45 years ago, is currently operating at such an advanced and inspired level is almost unthinkable.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A
