VIDEO PREMIERE: Monolithe Noir channel Krautrock greats on epic ‘Blafenn’

VIDEO PREMIERE: Monolithe Noir channel Krautrock greats on epic ‘Blafenn’
© Victor Pattyn

Belgian alt-rock outfit, Monolithe Noir’s new track ‘Balafenn’ is an emotional upheaval through the lens of hazy Krautrock inspired sonics, lifted from the band’s forthcoming album ‘Rin’ due this summer through Capitane Records.

Balafenn, “butterfly” in Breton, shows melancholy at its most glorious and epic. Balafenn evokes a impulse, the vital desire to cross the seas without having the possibility or the strength to do so; the dream of an elsewhere without its possible fulfilment, the weight of existence constantly catching up with us.

Monolithe Noir brings the metaphor of Balafenn to life through a title that slowly unfolds, gaining momentum under the swell of an old harmonium. The jerky rhythm played by the ARP Odyssey gallops on a jingle of hoops, punctuated by a grainy bass then hurdy-gurdies, crunching and pressing.

They say: “The video for ‘Balafenn’ was shot in one day, with a camera and two friends (Antoine Plaisant, actor, Yannick Dupont, musician in Monolith Noir) at Cap Blanc Nez on the Opal Coast in west of France. Something is slowly woven between these two lost characters. As their bodies relax, they become aware of their mutual existence to synchronise in an aerial choreography, towards the final climax that seals their friendship.”

Watch ‘Blafenn’ – BELOW:

Having passed through the inevitable rock groups and then departing into increasingly ambitious and conceptual projects (Arch Woodmann, in particular, which he piloted for three albums), Antoine Pasqualini puts his expansive musicality to work in the service of Monolithe Noir. Antoine’s music is unpredictable by nature and surprising by choice and escapes the hackneyed adjectives that segment our record collections. It draws on a myriad of influences: prog, ambient, electronica, folk, and even the hidden treasures of Italian library music. It does not hide behind a screen of artificial complexity but is, above all, directly aimed at us. Kubrick would approve.

Balafenn / 25th May

Xsnoize Author
Mark Millar is the founder of XS Noize and looks after the daily running of the website as well as hosting interviews for the weekly XS Noize Podcast. Mark's favourite album is Achtung Baby by U2.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*