Armed with just an electric guitar and a few effects pedals, Grandbruit crafted a peaceful stream of ambient sound that is as stoic and calm as a winter day in the plains.
Crafted during the depths of Montreal’s cold season, L’équilibre est Nécessaire is rich with icy celestial tones that wouldn’t appear out of place on an early Tangerine Dream record. The guitar-derived drones that make up the tape at times sound like analogue synthesizers and sometimes even passive chorus singers. This quality helps to give the music both a retro feel and an organic aura, which is a combination one might not expect from an instrumental album that is so steeped in arctic freeze.
While all of the tracks flow with an optimistically chill vibe, perhaps the brightest and most tranquil moment is “Si seulement.” With flute-like fountains of elegant notes rising upwards in a jovial spree, it’s almost as if Grandbruit (AKA Francis Tremblay) has swapped out his guitar for some kind of ethereal pipe organ, and is playing it within the echoing halls of a grand cathedral. It’s a highlight that beams a little sunlight across the album’s outer layer of frost.
Cool yourself off by getting this tape from Aural Canyon today.
-KH
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