Following the bewildering ‘Talking with the Birds’, Aksak Maboul are offering a new preview of their album Une aventure de VV (Songspiel) in the form of an enigmatic and magnetic new track called ‘Zone Blanche’. Like an experimental audio play, the album saw the band devising characters and stories over a continuous suite of fifteen pieces. The band shared some insight into the track:

“In ‘Zone Blanche’ the protagonist VV (who, in the previous song, has just shattered an ominous wall with the help of a woman, played by Laetitia Sadier) is entering a ‘dead zone’ which doesn’t appear on the maps. She wanders in the zone, followed by her shadow, played by Don The Tiger. They’re chanting together, until the shadow breaks away and launches into a soulful invocation in Spanish.”

‘Zone Blanche’ comes accompanied by a video filmed by Véronique Vincent and edited by Silva Baldan. Watch it below.

Une aventure de VV (Songspiel) is out on March 3rd though Crammed Discs

Véronique Vincent & Marc Hollander | Photo: Diego Crutzen

2020 saw the return of legendary experimental pop group Aksak Maboul with Figures, their first album in more than 40 years. Now there’s again good cause for celebration as they have announced the release of a new album. Entitled Une aventure de VV (Songspiel), it arrives on March 3rd though Crammed Discs, as part of their celebrated composers’ series Made To Measure.

Written and arranged by the label and band’s founder Marc Hollander, the album, as the press release describes, “features his characteristic genre-hopping tendencies: strands of electronica, pop, jazz, collage, techno, ambient, improv, krautrock, contemporary classical & systems music”. A continuous suite of fifteen pieces, Une aventure de VV (Songspiel) is also described as an experimental audio play, with Aksak Maboul devising characters and stories. “The central thread”, adds the album’s blurb, “is an enigmatic philosophical-poetical tale unfolding through monologues, dialogues, spoken and sung by a series of characters.” There’s a compelling playfulness and looseness on the album, with storytelling as a driving force behind it.

Aksak Maboul enlisted outstanding musicians including Audrey Ginestet and Benjamin Glibert of Aquaserge, Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab, John Pearce aka Alig, the founder of Family Fodder and Don The Tiger, as well as Faustine Hollander, Lucien Fraipont (aka Robbing Millions) and Erik Heestermans.

‘Talking with the Birds’ is the first bewildering cut to emerge from Une aventure de VV (Songspiel) and it leaves the listener wanting more. Take a listen below.

Legendary experimental pop group Aksak Maboul are back with a new album, Figures, their first in 40 years. After sharing ‘Tout a une Fin’, they are teasing it again with new track ‘Silent Silhouettes’, featuring Lucien Fraipont, Faustine Hollander, Erik Heestermans and Fred Frith. “Could this almost-instrumental, electronic tango-like track be evoking a dream scene in a Bioy Casares story, filmed by an Italian maestro in the ’60s?…”, asks the press release. “What’s certain is that it unveils some of the sound of “Figures”, with its unique instrumentation, collages and enigmatic moods.”

‘Silent Silhouettes’ is a wondrous and entrancing track. Take a listen below and grab the album when it’s out on May 15th through Crammed Discs.

All hail the return of legendary experimental pop group Aksak Maboul, who have announced the release of Figures, their first album in 40 years. Set for release on May 15th through the band’s founder Marc Hollander’s own Crammed Discs, Figures features a cast of stellar guests including Fred Frith, Steven Brown (Tuxedomoon), and several members of Aquaserge.

The thrilling news comes paired with the first single, ‘Tout a une Fin’, featuring vocals from co-producer Véronique Vincent. The single is offered with an accompanying video directed by animator and collagist Yoann Stehr. Watch it below.