Sage Alyte – Paume de Pierre
Label: Vlek – VLEK32
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Mini-Album, Limited Edition, Stereo
Country: Belgium
Released: 22 Jan 2021
Genre: Rock, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country, Psychedelic Rock
Enchanting and subtly psychedelic free-folk / improv works from Belgian duo Sage Alyte for the Vlek label. Admittedly this one totally passed me by when it originally came out in Jan earlier this year, but thanks to the recommendation of a much-more-on-it regular customer it’s been fully on repeat the past week or so. Sage Alyte is Brussels-based Ecuadorian musician David Jarrin Zabala and Roxane Métayer (responsible for that stunner Éclipse Des Ocelles on Morc Records this year), both of who are well-schooled within the Belgian noise / improv scene and are regularly performing live together in local squats, cafes and small theatres. It shows – the pair combine with genuine fluidity and intuition, utilising a suite of simple instruments to pay homage to nature and the traditional music of the Andres and rural France. Zabala’s South America roots peer through in the ritualistic campfire lullaby ‘Etincelles et Crapauds’ where birdcalls dance overhead and splinters of violin colour the background, whilst Métayer’s droning violin notes on ‘Levons une petite souche’ feel closely liked to age-old French folklore. It’s a real stunner throughout – simple compositions delicately unfolding whilst warping our perception of space and time. The label’s own mention of Marie Currie and Gareth Williams’ home-brewed epic as Flaming Tunes feels apt, but it also got me thinkin of that Ubaldo LP from 2020, or even bits of the musique concrete for ballet killer by Jean Schwarz / Aubry on Celia if we’re goin more out there, whereas the transcendent overtones on standout ‘Ombragée de Noyer’ evoke the overtonal bliss generated from Pierre Jean Croset’s electronic lyre. A biggie hiding in plain site! (Mint / New – with insert)
Tracklist
1 Effigie de personne, figure de dragon 7:19
2 Soleils inscrits 4:12
3 Mon ombre est immense 5:08
4 Araignée incolore 4:54
5 Levons une petite souche 5:07
6 Visitée parfois de l’iris 4:49
7 Ombragée de noyer 4:36
8 Etincelles et crapauds
8:50
