SOPHOMORE ALBUM OVALE OUT MAY 19 ON BOILED RECORDS
FRENCH EXPERIMENTAL POP ENSEMBLE PERFORMS JUNE 12 AT SUONI PER IL POPOLO IN MONTREAL
LISTEN / SHARE “DOGUE” HERE
PRE-ORDER OVALE HERE
PHOTO CREDIT: STACY LEE // HI-RES DOWNLOAD
"Dogue" is the last salvo before the release of Montreal nü fusion ensemble Lune très belle's breathtaking sophomore record, Ovale (out May 19). With fluid, viscous harmony, and vivid, pictorial sound, the form-defying composition coalesces into a cloud of incidental jazz raining down unexpected distortion. Led by singer-songwriter Frédérique Roy with the vaporous accompaniment of Robin Dann and Phil Melanson of Bernice, Samuel Gougoux (Victime, Corridor, Kee Avil), and Simon Labbé, the music unfolds through a slow process of tending to sensations and the affective traces they leave behind them – on "Dogue" this is subtly organized into a collective breath, the tempo rubato of Ovale’s expansive arc.
"’Dogue’ follows the path of a dog wandering through the night,” says Roy. “Sounds of magic dust courtesy of Phil (Melanson) fit the strange journey through the darkness. We tried different versions in between dips in the lake until we found the right elastic phrasing to make our tiny ensemble reach orchestral heights, with big sounds and more shift in the articulations than anywhere else on the album."
LISTEN / SHARE “DOGUE” HERE
The “deliberately deliberate” music of Lune très belle follows a tortuous path that evokes the synergy of the players and its elements. A platform for Roy to explore new sounds through new collaborations, her compositions, her words (sung in French) are beautifully intuited through its vessels. “Ovale would never sound the way it sounds without the creativity, generosity, talent and input of Simon, Sam, Phil and Robin. I came with compositions, words and arrangement ideas,” Roy says, “and their ability to interpret, improvise, and enter in a dialogue with the material played a big role in actualizing the arrangements and the making of the album.” In a recent interview with FLOOD Magazine, Bernice’s Robin Dann said in turn that “Fred is one of the best songwriters I’ve ever come across. Her songs feel like miracles to me: deeply vulnerable and true.”
WATCH / SHARE “LA MITE” HERE
BUY / STREAM “LA MITE” HERE
Lune très belle originated in 2016 with its debut album Ô la lune released in 2019, a raw and mostly live recording. More akin to the sound of wind chimes in waves, the recently released Ovale single “La mite” is lushly draped with melody; while “Mona” embodies the allure of a shifting castle where rooms of different dimensions and volumes bleed into each other. The result is a boldly tentative compositional experience that visits the amorphous spaces of artists like Grouper, the sonorous palette of Pat Metheny, and the pop affliction of Arthur Russell.
A patient process of care and diligence, at times involving onerous negotiations and confusion, Ovale resolves itself in the beauty of the unresolvable. Roy, who is a published poet and works by day providing alternative resources to psychiatrized people, has created in Ovale a fluid, softly whelming suite of natural music that is built on interaction and closeness. “New sounds through new collaborations” is Roy’s driving force. “I wanted to make a coherent object, truthful to my instinct.” From her elegant poetry to its beautiful articulation, Lune très belle’s Ovale is elemental and elastic – the exhale at the beginning of a new season.
ALBUM ARTWORK // HI-RES DOWNLOAD
OVALE TRACKLISTING
1. La mite
2. Refrain skylark
3. Moisissure
4. Maison
5. Refrain
6. Mona
7. Dogue
8. Siffleux
9. Œil magique
10. Refrain choral
11. Bye bye
“DOGUE” SINGLE ARTWORK // HI-RES DOWNLOAD
LIVE:
Jun 12 - Montreal QC - Suoni Per il Popolo @ Casa del Popolo