Fulguromatic are a duo hailing from France, who have released their debut album via the extraordinary label, áMARXE.

Released in early April, it sees Paul Cossé on: Fender Rhodes, automated flute, bottle flute, voices, xylophone, piano, percussions, banjoline, and;

Lancelot Rio on Drums, automated bass synth, voices, xylophone, piano, synth, bird call, percussions, guitars.

You can listen to, and purchase, this album at https://amarxe.bandcamp.com/album/fulguromatic

Now, I know that I have described much of this label’s work as unique, but with these two, it goes further than that. It is extremely challenging music, rewarded by intense listening, and not the type of stuff you will hear on any mainstream radio. For that reason, of course, it is worthy of our discussion.

So, eight tracks for us to consider. We start off with The Sigh of a Whittled Grove. There is a darkness to the lyrics, referencing a crumbling castle, which have for centuries been the stuff of ghoulish nightmares, with its fallen gods clawing at your hand. However, that sense of doom is not what you get from the start, which is playful with its flute and jazz-infused percussion, the bass synth throbbing, so from this opening passage, it sounds just like a typical fine weather trek in the countryside, full of hope and ambition up the hill. It is upon arrival at the castle that things become more pressing, urgent, the voices and instruments swirling around your head, the calling back from whence you came. The drums and percussion are exceptional on this, a veritable surround of noise, and there is beauty amidst the ruins, an eclectic mix of emotions, with an onslaught of noise as time claws. This is a very strong start.

The Unconceivable Curse of Atahualpa refers to the last Incan King, executed by the Spanish invaders in 1533. Before you start feeling overwhelmingly sorry for him, he did gain the crown by defeating and killing his half-brother, so make of that what you will. Again, there is a brightness to the opening notes, the spoken curse almost a light and fanciful aside, the wind instruments and keys dancing around each other, underpinned by a melodic rhythm section. As the track progresses, there is an increased sense of mystery, and I really do like the swirling flute in a funk infused jam. At times insistent, at others gentle and melodic, this is a sonic delight.

Hidden Realm has a video embedded below. The album track is a mere 1:53, but the video you see is over five minutes, a live session. The musicianship is incredible, a sort of escape from chaos into the intensity of the country. Two musicians entirely at ease with each other, producing a warm musical glow. I love this.

Up next is Top 5 des Citations d’Albert Einstein, his finest quotes. Now, as is usual in my reviews, I have not sought to translate the French lyrics here, although examining them, naturally e=MC squared features. Discordant to begin, the minute mark brings with it a lighter touch, although suitably mathematical in its approach to the words of a genius, even to this day utilised in annoying advertisements for so-called “smart meters”. This is hypnotic and extremely catchy with more energetic skins work and the words growing in intensity as they progress.

Nutriscore Z refers to the original French, and now reasonably widely European, nutrition label which tells folk how good, or bad, food is for their general health and wellbeing, the poor babes being unable to tell for themselves that a processed cheeseburger might be slightly less healthy than, say, a fresh courgette. This joyful menagerie of a song concentrates on the glorious burger and will probably not be pitched any time soon as the soundtrack to a “Burger King Life”. A huge amount of jazz-infused chaos, turning seriously dark before exploding into a glorious vocal and keyboard & drum infused noise for the denouement, presumably the healthy diet winning through, the subject now full of verve.

Lil’ Appeau is “Little Bird Call” full of such joy, the competing noises and tweets reminding me of the past couple of evenings spent outside in the spring sunshine simply allowing nature to wash over me, although in between all that, there are some wilder and more insistent noises demanding your attention. Suitably, An Odd Bird’s Bill follows this, some birds that can’t be seen, but in their song, there is life. The drum roll combines with a gorgeous bass melody and the flute to create alongside voices a psych-infested natural wonder, a thoroughly modern jazz interpretation of the classic Canterbury sound at the fore, melodies and insistent rhythm creating a rich soundscape.

We close with Gmmmf, and there is a video for this embedded below. It is shorter than the album version, the pair of them watching each other in a manner which reminds me a bit of the classic Crimson lineup at Lark’s Tongue, bouncing off of each other, utterly comfortable in the realisation that the following time they play it, the notes will be different, and featuring the finest melodies you could hope for before the whole piece simply builds and builds into such a voice noise, synthesised adding a strange harmonious effect, almost at times as if you are in human zoo, but Rio demonstrating again what a class drummer he is.

I think in years to come, Cossé and Rio will be regarded as being in the vanguard of something special. They are inventive, they are interesting, and this album delights more with each listen.