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Chafouin Orchestra — Chafouin Orchestra
(Bandcamp Baboonfish no#, 2026, CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2026-09-03

Chafouin Orchestra Cover art

Chafouin (translation: Sly) is a French experimental noise-pop-rock trio (though sometimes a duo and sometimes a quartet), but when the band leader l’Austral decided to expand to an octet, he rechristened the band Chafouin Orchestra, and this is their self-titled debut. It’s worth noting that the other regular members of the Chafouin trio (bassist and drummer) are not present on this recording; from all appearances, it looks like l’Austral had ideas for a solo project and collected a crew of new players (violin, sax, accordion, flute) and three singers to accompany him (handling guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and additional vocals). Any listener who dares is in for some kind of wild ride! The album consists of two long tracks, “Opus en mi bémol” and “Opus en mi bémol (Acoustic Version),” each clocking in at 26 minutes and change. Both of these are long-form minimalist pieces, rife with repetition and slow developments, but quite hypnotic overall, comparable in certain ways to Magma’s early 70s endeavors (“Köhntarkösz,” perhaps), or even Mike Oldfield’s earliest work, but a bit more noisy and chaotic, and beautiful in its own unique way. The changes as the main piece proceeds are mostly fairly gradual, a listener can just flow with it and be carried along by the restless currents that flow and ebb within the structure of the composition. There are numerous start and stop points where new ideas are injected into the stream and slowly blossom as it progresses further, the ongoing structure picking it up and carrying it away. The vocals are a very important element, and perhaps most responsible for the Magma comparison throughout its duration. The acoustic version, which is only available on the CD and download versions, by virtue of its lower sonic density allows more space for the voices and some of the other instrumentation, and in some ways its overall execution is a preferable experience. Either way one takes it, Chafouin Orchestra provides a powerful and immersive experience for the intrepid listener.

Filed under: New releases, 2026 releases

Related artist(s): Chafouin / Chafouin Orchestra

More info
http://chafouin.bandcamp.com/album/chafouin-orchestra

 

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