The Possibility of a New Work for Aquaserge

STEREOLABにも参加経験のあるJulien Gasc(vo)、他ノイズ・ロックバンド:HIPPIE DIKTAT/HELVED RUMでも活動を行なうJulien Chamla(drs)らも参加するフランス産アヴァン・ロックバンドの、ベルギーCrammed DIscs内のレーベル:Made To Measureの第46弾としてリリースされた'21年作。
デビュー作は仏Musea内のアヴァン系レーベル:Gazul Recordsからのリリース、また著名なレコメン系フェス"Rock In Opposition"への参加実績もある事からも、ベースとしては管楽器主体のチェンバー/アヴァン・ロックを念頭に置きつつ、キャッチーなメロディーとグルーヴィーなリズムも血肉にし、カンタベリー・サウンド影響下とも捉えられそうなサイケ・ジャズからインディー・ロックまで、フランスならではのキッチュな感性の下多種多様なジャンルを横断してきた彼らですが、本作はそのタイトル通り、バンドの新たなる可能性/方向性を打ち出した挑戦的な渾身の一作となっています。
Ayaa/In-Poly-Sonsといった、ユーモアと機知に富んだ自国のレコメン系レーベル・カラーを引き継ぎながらも、サックス/クラリネット/フルート等の管楽器を主体とした端正な室内楽調に、各曲名にも記載されている通りGiacinto Scelsi、Gyorgy Ligeti、Edgard Varese、Morton Feldmanなどのへのオマージュも込められた、不協和音/奇数拍子など現代音楽的手法を各所にて用いたポスト・モダニズムなテイストを存分に含ませたサウンド。フランス産らしい低温度なボーカルをフィーチャーした'Un grand sommeil noir'Only''といったシリアス・シャンソンなナンバーは近年のAlbert Marcoeurの諸作を思わせる所もあり。Crammed Discs内でも特に先鋭的な作品を取り扱うレーベル:Made To Measureからのリリースも納得の、実験的精神に溢れた傑作!

The Possibility of a New Work for Aquaserge is the French avant-prog bands contribution to Crammeds long-running composer series Made to Measure, which has typically focused on music that could be used for other forms of media, including film, television, advertising, and performances. Earlier entries in the series included John Luries soundtracks for Jim Jarmuschs breakthrough films, as well as Yasuaki Shimizus Music for Commercials and albums by Hector Zazou, Fred Frith, Harold Budd, and many others. On this album, Aquaserge pay tribute to Giacinto Scelsi, Gyorgy Ligeti, Edgard Varese, and Morton Feldman, through a mixture of original homages and interpretations of the 20th century composers pieces. The results are distinctly Aquasergian, with some of the pieces radically altered to match the bands sensibilities, while others are more reverential to the original compositions. Vareses Un grand sommeil noir is transformed from a solemn, operatic piece into more of a fractured chanson, segueing from a cool yet fractured rhythm to more weightless sections, joined together by the dual lead vocals of Audrey Ginestet and Julien Gasc. 1768DEG.C, an original piece dedicated to Varese, is more exciting, particularly the mesmerizing section near the middle for electric guitar, woodwinds, and bass, as well as the main rhythm that the group constantly returns to. The bands homages to Scelsi and Ligeti are extended drones, the Scelsi piece is tense and at times shrill, while Nuit terrestre (a Gyorgy Ligeti) is soft and glacial, fusing the entire ensemble into what sounds like a single instrument. By contrast, the much shorter Nuit alteree (a Gyorgy Ligeti) sets the tense horns and bells to an almost New Orleans-style drum rhythm. The Feldman pieces include two versions of Only, a solo voice composition based on a Rainer Maria Wilke poem, as well as the freewheeling original Comme des carres de Feldman, a gleefully twisted noise rock improvisation based on a graphic score. Throughout the album, Aquaserge demonstrate how the pioneering techniques and ideas of the visionary composers can be adapted into contemporary avant-rock settings, and how theyve influences the bands own approaches. ~ Paul Simpson