Cheval de Frise

When it was first released in 2000 on Europe’s Sonore Records, Cheval De Frise’s eponymous debut set the underground musical community in France on its ear. The duo of Vincent Beysselance and Thomas Bonvale hail from Bordeaux, and are responsible for the uniquely compelling mix of classical/electro-acoustic guitar and drums that take jazz and hardcore music down a truly innovative path. Thanks to Chicago’s Sickroom Records, Cheval De Frise receives a proper North American release so that its 13 tracks can infiltrate and inspire a new breed of math rock and free jazz enthusiasts across the Atlantic. Beginning with the schizophrenic "Connexion Monstrueuse Entre Un Objet Et Son Image,” the album takes listeners on a dynamic musical voyage that turns and tumbles right through to closer "Noblesse De L’échec (2).” Lovely, intricate classical guitar lines morph into jagged monsters before calming down again and the erratic timing of the pounding drums produces an otherworldly clatter. Though comparisons to Don Caballero and Gastr Del Sol are close to the mark, Cheval De Frise were truly onto something unique for post-hardcore on this recording and it is a boon to the genre to have this remarkable document reach an audience beyond France.