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Reviews

Yang — Machines
(Vocation Records VOC1527, 2009, CD)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2010-07-01

Machines Cover art

Some five or six years ago, French instrumental quartet Yang released their outstanding debut, A Complex Nature, on Cuneiform, then promptly disbanded before playing even a single concert. Now they have regrouped and are back with this most welcome, if somewhat belated, follow-up. Bandleader and guitarist / multi-instrumentalist Frederic l’Épée (formerly of Philharmonie, and Shylock before that) and drummer Velodia Brice from the original lineup of Yang are joined by two newer members: guitarist Laurent James and bassist Nico Gomez. Even though l’Épée remains the band’s primary composer, with the new membership their sound has taken on a far more muscular and aggressive flavor, as well as incorporating some diverse trajectories, folk and ethnic elements, and a heaviness that occasionally approaches metal, all the while retaining their Crimsoid influences and technical multi-guitar approach. There are plenty of jazzy moments as well, but they typically give way to a rockier essence in short order, along the way revealing something interesting, melodically engaging and structurally complex, while presenting it in a way that’s completely listenable. All taken, the ten cuts on Machines mark a welcome return for Yang. Hopefully we won’t have to wait so long for the next installment.

Filed under: New releases, Issue 38, 2009 releases

Related artist(s): Yang, Frédéric l'Épée

More info
http://yang1.bandcamp.com/album/machines

 

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