Recommended: Morgan’ – “Sémaphore”

 

The beauty of this 4-track EP by the Morgan’ duo of clarinetist Hugo Proy and guitarist Vincent Guiot is matched only by its friendliness.  The duo shape a melody with the opening notes, lock them into place, and then spend the duration of each song detailing the melodies with lovely little details and lively personality.  The duo bring in a series of guests, and the instrument additions range from sitar to mandolin to electronics to didgeridoo.

That didgeridoo has a nifty role as rhythmic undercurrent on “La Bête Noire.”  The mandolin brings a rustic folk sound on “Tiniri,” which the musicians use as a launching pad for some effusive chatter.  The electronic presence on “Canopée” is alluringly subtle, an instance where restraint resonates far greater than aggression.  And on “A l’Orée,” the sitar melts into the melodic stream formed by the confluence of clarinet and guitar, and the beauty it generates is as vivid and powerful as any forest stream, as any ocean vista.

Sémaphore is one of those under-the-radar albums that keep me motivated to endlessly search through everything that hits the new releases bin.  Simply gorgeous, unabashedly fun.

Your album personnel:  Hugo Proy (clarinet), Vincent Guiot (guitar) and guests: Eliott Gualdi (sitar), Mathias Jamart (didgeridoo), Khiredin Kati (mandolin) and Vendège (synthesizers, effects).

The album is Self-Produced.

Listen to more of the album on the artist’s Bandcamp page.

Music from Paris.

Available at:  Bandcamp