La Breiche – Le Rite (Album – Cold Spring)
Genre/Influences: Ethereal, Experimental, Industrial, Neo-Folk.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: French duo Yan Arexis – Patrick Lafforgue are back on track unleashing the second album of their La Breiche project. The French musicians are still involved with multiple other projects, but Stille Volk is also a common formation. They’re also organizing the festival L’Homme Sauvage that takes place in the Midi-Pyrenees (France). This region also is an important source of inspiration for their common work while it was also reflected in the last album of Common Eider, King Eider (one of the projects Yan Arexis is now involved with).
Content: “Le Rite” moves on where the debut album “Le Mal Des Ardents” stopped. The album is mixing influences like Ethereal chants and Industrial sound treatments together with Neo-Folk. But you’ll also notice passages animated by Ritual elements or a Jazzy-Industrial trumpet at another song. La Breiche has something authentic because of the acoustic and traditional instruments they’re using. That’s what also made the essence of their debut work. The songs are alternating instrumental- and sung passages while one of the last cuts is a kind of Experimental vocalizations.
+ + + : La Breiche stands for authenticity and that’s due to use of traditional and mainly Folk instruments like the hurdy-gurdy, trombone, guitar, bass, bells ao. The atmosphere has something pretty intimate and even more personal than the previous work. The addition of Electronic sound treatments and field recordings create this very personal result, which has something unique, but fascinating. This album feels like a sonic voyage throughout isolated landscapes recovered by old mysteries. I also have to say a word about the sober, artistic artwork of the digipak.
– – – : La Breiche is sometimes hard to seize and that’s probably because their music is more the fusion between numerous influences instead of an established music style.
Conclusion: This album makes me think of a sonic retreat, a way to get connected with your inner self and your deepest thoughts.
Best songs: “Démiurge Thaumaturge”, “Santa Méra”, “Etter Regnet”, “Monastery”.
Rate: (8).
Artist: www.facebook.com/labreiche
Label: www.coldspring.co.uk / www.facebook.com/coldspringhq
About La Breiche
La Breiche is the duo of Yan Arexis and Patrick Lafforgue, both also members of the Heathen-folk band Stille Volk, formed in 1994 in the French Pyrenees together with Patrice Roques. “Le Rite” follows La Breiche’s 2018 debut album “Le Mal Des Ardents” on Cold Spring, continuing the pair’s use of traditional and acoustic instruments alongside electronic treatments and field recordings.
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I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
