Grand Huit

David Fenech is an artist of the label of Nancy Tout L'Univers. His music is defined as post - musik and a priori, this is not that wrong. The songs are quite minimalists, tinkered and ruffians, without artifice. The instrumentation remains classic, with guitar, bass, battery, organ and some manipulations on a computer, and the use of a ukulélé, Tibetan gongs or various sound effects. One sometimes thinks about Beck (Small Eight) but in a crazier way, David Thomas (Bœuf Bourguiba) or Tom Waits (Mister Master) while passing by psychedelic deliriums (Jukebox), thinking we listen to a song of Catpower (Solaris), a very nervous track. The few reminiscences to the school of Dominique A (Small Sun) constitute the weak point of the record, that nevertheless includes a whole set of pearls, as the fabulous " Heels ", squeaky and tense, punctuated of an unstoppable rhythm, a " Love That Feel " touched by the grace. Some passages appear useless or brilliant, following the mood of the moment, like these recordings of conversations, or of sound experimentations falsely applied, but on the whole the album remains very coherent. The recordings seem to be have been done in one time, in order to protect a certain precious innocence, giving back the artistic spontaneity. The first listening is certainly disconcerting and tangled, but then, all goes back in the order to unveil a very mature and reflexive album. Robert Wyatt is thanked in the sleeve and it is not a surprise.
 
A beautiful discovery. Excellent!
 
Stéphane Fivaz
September 2000

label :
Tout L'Univers Records
G. Duponchel
4, rue de Solignac
54000 Nancy
France
e-mail : gesyl@club-internet.fr

Contact :
David Fenech
20, rue Abbé Grégoire
38000 Grenoble
France
e-mail : david.fenech@st.com