FILLE QUI MOUSSE

Sole album from an experimental French band that had an apparently floating line-up under Enui's leadership. Released on the obscure but legendary Futura Red label in 71 under the Trixie Stapleton 291 name, this album (also being named: to shut up for a too cute woman) sits fine among its Red and Son sub-labels of Futura, along the Mahogany Brain, Travelling, Triode albums or the Horde Catalytique or Semool, all of which have been reissued on CD by now. The album's 11 tracks are penned by up to six members, but the title-less track is a group effort composition. I am not sure the majority of tracks on this album should be called composition or that we should speak of "songwriting", though.

Opening and closing on the psychedelic rocking jams of Speed Way and Annal-Mandrake (with two n's) pieces; which spend their time in conventional (everything being relative) trippy psych rock, where Guildon's guitar reigns supreme, the album's centre is much more experimental. Indeed, the dissonant piano and electronic noises of Boulogne, the bizarre de-tuned guitar and percussions of Princesse Nuage, Barab Lowengren's spoken words over a bed of electronic dog-barking of Amour-Gel are definitely giving a weird and unexpected twist to the album, but all three are short tracks ? 2.5 minutes max. An annoying buzz fills the the sonic space for the longer Paravent track's fairly lengthy length (almost-6 mins).

The flipside is no less weird; opening on the dissonant piano tinkling of Bubble Gun and Tibhora tracks, but the following spoken words over electronic bruitage is no less demanding on your patience. What to say of the title-less track then? Never mind, uh?? The following Ordination oscillates between Celtic and Arabian folk music (an electric violin?). After such a demanding sonic experience, the group gratifies the listener with an eight-mins wild psych piece that echoes the album's opening track.

Overall, outside the lengthy noise-buzz track ending side A, most of the experimental music pieces are relatively soft, but also senseless. Definitely not for everyone's ears, this is a fairly schizophrenic album that shares its time between wild psych rock (roughly a tad above a third of the album) and some bizarre, often dissonant sonic quagmires (the rest), but most of it remaining acceptable to the reasonably adventurous progheads.

Fille Qui Mousse (Frothing Girl) was supposedly recorded in just one day in July '71. One of the more mysterious experimental underground French acts, this didn't actually see the light of day until 2001 due to their 'Futura' label going into financial meltdown in the early 70's.

Bizarrely 'Se Taire Pour Une Femme Trop Belle' translates into English as 'Shutting up for a Woman Too Pretty'. What the??!...

Partly tape experiment, psychedelia and Krautrock. Barking dogs and field recordings emerge at varying points amidst a maelstrom of noise, alien pipes, horns and chopped up nonsense. A strange experimental free rock recording which at times is beautiful and at others downright annoying. All in all, a very unique recording for 1971.

All eight of these guys were clearly mashed and sky high at the time of pulling this monster together. I don't think they could have done it otherwise.

Strangest of all, Steve Stapleton of 'Nurse With Wound' fame included this on the famous 'Nurse with Wound List' in 1980 and named his daughter 'Trixie'. Trixie Stapleton... What's the chances? Talking of 'Nurse With Wound' - there's plenty of snippets 'borrowed' from this recording that made it on to some of their recordings.

Quite similar to what a French "Faust" would have sounded like, and only recommended to those of a more experimental disposition.

So if I understand this correctly we have a band from France playing Krautrock and they released this album on an Italian label (Mellow Records). Got it ? Well that's just the beginning of strange goings on when we're talking about FILLE QUI MOUSSE. Many compare these guys to FAUST just to give you an idea of what we are dealing with. RYM has them listed under Experimental music and for good reason. If it wasn't for the long opening and closing tracks I wouldn't be giving this 4 stars but you know what, this band has that adventerous spirit and really this is unique when we're taking about French bands.In the cd liner notes they don't even list the song titles, they simply have Parts 1-9 35:40, so obviously this was mean't to be one long piece.

"Cantate Disprate" is my favourite.This is such a trippy tune with the prominant bass and drums leading the way until the guitar starts to solo over top. A fantastic Krautrock groove to this one. It's the type of song I could listen to for hours.

"Transcription Interrompue" is about a minute of loud jarring sounds. "Fraicheur Et Amalgame" is another short piece this time with drums and a stringed instrument making experimental sounds. "Esplande" opens with a female speaking in french while dogs bark in the background.Then after 2 1/2 minutes we get this annoying hum that continues right to the end of this 8 minute track.

"Resistance Instinctive" has piano until after 1 1/2 minutes then we get some noise added to the equation. "Quartreme Episode" has these spoken male words, drums and water sounds. Weird stuff. "Transplantation" is filled with experimental sounds.

"Antinomique" has violin and a buzzing sound (or is that me). "L'eau Etait Vitale" like the opening track is very krautrock-like. Drums, bass and flute on this one as the guitar joins in. Excellent track.

This is one of those rare occassions where i'm giving 4 stars to an album that contains a lot of soundscapes that I don't enjoy. Still this is unique and certainly for collectors i'd recommend it, and to FAUST fans.

This is an album which offers fairly interesting jazz flavoured krautrock - the sole effort from a mysterious French project FILLE QUI MOUSSE by the look of it. Clearly structured though, as it is unexpectedly ... which means here we have some weird experimental stuff embedded in two jazz rock respectively canterbury jams. The fine opener Cantate Disparate reminds me of Soft Machine and Gong in style, the drumming especially.

Much more accessible when comparing with the following shorter excerpts which show freaked out finger experiments on the piano or eastern and industrial coloured stuff where they are getting close to a Faust approach. Esplanade is the most challenging track most likely ... a woman recites, accompanied by barking dogs and then it evolves into an electronical excursion which sounds like an extraterrestrian siren. This probably might have inspired the Belgian newcomer Magdalena Solis in some way. It's a kind of magic ... really hard to escape from.

Résistance Instinctive follows with celestial piano impressions and Transplantation definitely gets out of control completely. Finally on the extended L'eau Était Vitale they recollect their jazz rocking quailities, this time featuring a violin. Spot on if you are keen on a sound in the vein of Gong or similar .. and do not have problems with some freakish experiments appearing in between.

What a junk room "Trixie Stapelton 291 - Se Taire Pour Une Femme Trop Belle" is ... released by a French Krautrock outfit FILLE QUI MOUSSE.

Regardless of the longest title, their album itself cannot notify me what they have meant to do. That is, the soundscape intentionally created by them is too complex and non-unified for me to understand or come into focus. Various experimental methods can spring out like a versatile instrument or a jack-in-the-box. Do not be deceived by the first track "Cantate Disparate" with uptempo groove, light and shade around the stuff ... absolute dry piano improvisation "Transcription Interrompue" or "Résistance Instinctive", dark percussive rhythm pitch-dark woods "Fraîcheur Et Amalgame" might be seasoned with their mind-altered condition. And let me emphasize the first highlight be "Esplanade" drenched in female sensuality, tragic dog barks, and weird synthesizer effects or noises for over five minutes, infernal growlin', into that I've been remarkably immersed (this tune could trigger my purchasing this album actually). Eccentric humanity whilst drone percussion and bubbling bobble sounds go forward simply can be seen in "Quatrième Épisode" ... pretty lazy and hypnotic call. Cannot realize at all the sense of "Transplantation", which has electric giggles and dead-man noises (that might mean meaningless?) ... the latter part of this album can remind me something like Semool's "Essais", especially the eighth "Antinomique" based on a keen violin solo and electric percussion. And furthermore, guess they might represent "coming back to earth" upon the last "L'eau Était Vitale", kinda refrain of the first track and the very last infernal depth.

You can understand, just when you listen to the album, this is Krautrock. So that, very close to one of Krautrock masterpieces this "Trixie Stapelton 291 - Se Taire Pour Une Femme Trop Belle" is, let me say please. ;)

P.S. This album has been recommended by Mauro Moroni, the owner of Mellow Records - he always says this album be another masterpiece of Mellow. Thanks Mauro!