This French duo creates detailed and moody aural landscapes, where sweeping melodies and swirling dynamics blend dramatically. They spread their songs out like a lavish feast, inviting the listener to dine on a wide array of lush textures and expansive soundscapes. Vive Cheval de Frise! For fans of Gastr del Sol, Hella, and Don Caballero.

Thomas Bonvalet – amplified acoustic guitar | Vincent Beysselance – drums |Guest: John Dieterich – guitar (1)

Recorded by Jay Pellicci at Tiny Telephone Studio, San Francisco, CA in August 2004. Mixed by Adrian Riffo at D2 Mobil Factory. Cover art by Greg Vezon.

Tracklist: 1. La lame du mat I | 2. La lame du mat II | 3. La lame du mat III | 4. La lame du mat IV | 5. La lame du mat V

Cheval De Frise is a French duo that existed since 1998 but quit playing together in August 2004. They’re releasing this posthumous 5 song 10” called La Lame Du Mat on the Czech label Minority records. The record was produced by Jay Pellici of 31 knots and honestly, boys and girls, if you’re as much into decomposed math rock as I am, you’ll love this. La Lame Du Mat sounds like it’s an improvised studio album, but after a few listens you’ll discover that the songs on this record reveal textures and disintegrating melodies that are so genuine they make me feel that warm and indescribable feeling only really brilliant music can produce. Needless to say that it’s been a while since a record from a band I never heard of confronted me with a feeling so pure. Vincent Beysselance and Thomas Bonvalet are the faces behind the band. Thomas is playing amplified acoustic guitar and Vincent is drumming. The line-up might be simple, the music they compose is very diverse.

The five compositions on this record (simply called La Lame Du Mat I to V) breathe an air of free spirit in a baroque classical atmosphere. Each piece floats in a timeless dimension and walks the often thin line between composition and decomposition. One might experience this album as rudimentary improv craziness, while at the same time consider it a masterpiece of composition and mathematical noisy art rock. Sure thing is that this instrumental record crosses borders of multiple genres with it’s gestures of jazz, noise, rock, improv and indie music. It might leave most of the kids out there confused. There’s no real formal comparisons to make and that only reveals the truly inventive brains behind Cheval De Frise. However, this band surely has matching ideas about music and art as bands like Hella, Don Caballero, Femme Fatale, the Flying Luttenbachers, My Name Is Rar Rar, Snack Truck or Flössin. So, I would really really really recommend this band to anyone that’s feeling musically related to any or all of the aforementioned bands cause this is truly inspirational.

— Semtex Magazine

LP version (incl. shipment cost world-wide)