Review Summary: A sense of calm, met with perpetual restlessness
Indie pop and jazz. It’s one hell of a genre mix, and one that presents a wide palette of moods and approaches to draw from. But in the case of jazz-pop septet Fievel Is Glauque’s sophomore record
Flaming Swords, both styles are combined in a way that disarray and rigidity mingle and form a twisted bond with one another. Ma Clément’s calm, soothing vocals are often betrayed by the intricate framework of mathy guitars and saxophones, and yet neither seem out of place with each other, something that quickly becomes apparent when listening to the opening title track. The dynamics are exquisite here as Clément is able to temper the craziness of Johannes Eimermacher’s sax lines, while the irreverence of the rhythm section is able to – in turn – add more excitement to Clément’s vocal lines. It’s an excellent transactional relationship, and one that extends its hand to the rest of the project. Take “Little Bad Miracle”, for instance; Zack Phillips’ percussive Rhodes piano stabs consistently add tension, but the controlled nature of the other instruments helps the song maintain a calm atmosphere at the same time. Then there’s the shape-shifting of “I’m a Place”, a tune that shuffles along dreamily as its disparate parts blend seamlessly into each other.
As for the mix of indie pop and jazz,
Flaming Swords is truly a 50/50 forging of the two. You’d think the jazz influences would be surface-level, but they get just as much attention as the pop elements; these ladies and gents clearly know their free jazz and bop records. The beauty of the album is that – as with the chaos/rigidity relationship mentioned prior – both genres facilitate each other’s aims wonderfully. There’s something almost math-y about many of the cuts featured in the collection, but once in a while, you’ll get a song like “Boîte * Serpents” which cleverly uses its jazz leanings to unravel into a dreamlike piece – replete with relaxing spoken-word segments. On the other side of the coin, we have the ever-changing insanity of “Save the Phenomenon”; the song is mellow in tone, but restless percussion and guitar parts ensure that you’ll never truly settle into the groove. I also need to give special props to the drummer, Gaspard Sicx; this guy is capable of some of the craziest tempo and rhythm shifts I’ve heard in a modern jazz record, able to switch from slow dreamy passages to math rock insanity at the drop of a hat. So for those who are curious to approach this unique experience, I ask that you do so with an open mind. Every song operates as its own little variation on the band’s signature sound… and did I mention that there are 18 (admittedly quite short) tracks in total here?
Flaming Swords is certainly not a conventional release from either a pop or jazz standpoint, but it’s one hell of a fascinating record nonetheless.
