Band: Fulguromatic | Album: Fulguromatic | Genre: Progressive rock | Year: 2025
From: Rennes, France | Label: áMARXE
For fans of: Zopp, Frank Zappa, Gong
Fulguromatic is a French duo, about which there is relatively little information online. Their self-titled debut album is a fascinating blend of styles. “Progressive rock” is certainly a safe label for this act, but they incorporate a lot of jazz into their sound, as well as weirder, more experimental and improvisational elements. Fulguromatic has a rich and enthralling sound, and each song is impressively inventive.
The album opens with “The Sigh of a Whittled Grove”. Glassy electric piano, sighing vocals and whispery flute immediately give this song a sense of levity. There’s a light, bouncy jazziness, and I really like the sense of whimsy and playfulness. In the first few minutes of this record they’re already dancing around the fringes of both the Canterbury sound and zeuhl. Even as the band puts a bit more muscle into their music, things remain ascendant. The vocals, when they enter, are processed in a weird, reedy way; and hand percussion adds to the subtle sense of urgency. This song is bursting with unique tones, timbres, and textures.
“The Unconceivable Curse of Atahualpa” has a more subdued opening. It’s restrained and slinking. The chimes, trilling flutes, and jazzy tones give it the air of a soundtrack to some ‘70s spy film. There’s a sense of tension running throughout this piece.
At just shy of two minutes, “Hidden Realm” is the shortest song on the album. The percussion is chaotic and crazy, and the mixing is fun and disorienting. Different clattering wooden and metallic sounds jump between the left and right audio channels. Things feel tossed together but in a careful way. The meter is odd, and the piano stutters at uneven intervals.
“Top 5 des citations d’Albert Einstein” begins with some groaning, filtered keyboard effects, but its main rhythm draws heavily from motorik. Though it’s sung in French, the vocals evoke Klaus Blasquiz of Magma, and the clattering xylophone and swirling piano further underscore comparisons to the founders of zeuhl. By keeping the rhythm rooted in krautrock, though, it’s an interesting twist. Magma often incorporated marching themes into their music, so this is a fun variation on the classic zeuhl template.
“Nutriscore Z” kicks things off with some fun, wooden sounds ringing out behind the vocals and electric piano. This is another song where I really need to compliment the band’s ability to conjure up unique timbres. The songwriting is clever and inventive, but putting so much thought into the actual sounds of the instruments helps this record stand even taller. This is another song where the rhythm goes completely off the rails, stuttering and tumbling ever-forward. The band even draws from very early Zappa at points in this song.
After the charging conclusion of the previous song, “Lil’ Appeau” slows things down. This piece is mellow and meditative, focusing on texture and atmosphere. As is the case elsewhere on Fulguromatic, flute and electric piano are the main instruments atop skittering, jazzy drums. Intensity does build across this song’s runtime, with an odd, squeaking sound (possibly the bird call listed in the credits) evoking the record-scratches of turntablism. Indeed, even the rhythm calls to mind instrumental hip-hop acts like DJ Shadow.
“An Odd Bird’s Bill” fades in over blipping synths and a drumroll, but it eventually resolves into a mellow, laid-back bit of jazz rock. Warm, soulful electric piano and distant vocal harmonies blend to make an idyllic scene. Some minor-key moments help to drive things along.
The album concludes on “Grmmf”. Here, the electric piano is overdriven, giving it a satisfying crunch. Xylophone, flute, and acoustic guitar pull some folk influences into this, but the overall mood again skirts the fringes of zeuhl. Specifically, it reminds me a lot of Laurent Thibault’s solo effort. The drums thump between quieter passages, and the band again plays with some odd vocal processing effects. The song’s conclusion focuses on a diverse set of percussion instruments, and it’s a fitting end that blends the band’s gentler jazzy inclinations with their taste for the odd.
I went into this album knowing nothing at all about the band’s music, and I came out absolutely loving them. The mix of prog, jazz, zeuhl, and other elements I struggle to accurately label come together in a satisfying way. Not only is the songwriting top-notch, but the actual sounds on the record are rich and striking, making for a fantastic listening experience.
Score: 94/100
The Elite Extremophile 