MAISON CUBE

The return of the French folk priestess after some 35 years of silence ? which I suppose was to raise a family. I'm always a bit wary of these "returns", but a quick look at the line-up on Maison Cube quickly convinced to investigate this album, which makes a reference to Maison Rose of 77. Plenty of old historical instruments, a good dose of vintage rock instruments (including "human drums") and the label statement that the artiste is the only one deciding of the album's content were quite enough arguments to flick my curiosity box.

The album is a mix of medieval-sounding folk like Même De Dos, Ecole De Patience or Nulle Part, sometimes using drones (mainly the hurdy gurdy), like the opening Route, the slightly ethnic Bar Mitsva, the haunting and eerie Secret. Elsewhere, some tracks are sometimes too-cute (for its own good) folky-pop tunes, such as Je T'Aime or Nulle Part, while other tracks are Wyrd/pagan/electronica folk tinge, like Collectage, Pleure or the eerie album-lengthier title track. What a world f difference between Je T'aime and Le Plus Clair and the title track finale.

A rather pleasant and surprising album, Maison Cube comes with a jewel case format Mini Lp sleeve, which adds much charm to the whole oeuvre. In some ways, I can draw a comparison with what Judy Dyble has done with her recent second career (see her entry), and in general, this is a good recommendation for prog-folkheads.