Music - Part 391 - Francois And The Atlas Mountains

Francois And The Atlas Mountains - L'homme Tranquille EP (Domino)

Vinyl/DL

Out Now

African influenced French/British band release their new EP.  

If any group can aid the wider acceptance of African music into the mainstream then they are fine by Louder Than War.  It’s a much maligned and misunderstood musical style and one which is often typecast into (unintended) semi-racial comments.

Enter Francois And The Atlas Mountains who are strong contenders to help change a lot of perceptions.  Blending traditional sounding French folk pop with an Indie slant and a clear love of African beats, the band fronted by Francois Marry have released a fine four track EP which can do nothing but to increase everyone’s curiosity.

Armed with several tunes which had already been drafted, the band took a ten day journey across Ethiopia, Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Benin absorbing the vibes and jamming with African musicians adding traditional instrument like the ngoni to their sound.  The resulting L’homme Tranquille EP is catchy and incredibly listenable.

Opener Ayan File is a marvellous piece of Afro-beat with a hook that is both memorable and entirely enjoyable.   The instrumentation is something to behold and the funky style is full of passion and superb musicianship.

Second track, Jeans is almost twee on first listen and the chorus of repeated title mention is maybe a little too repetitive to start, but it soon fits.  Hints of Bluegrass in a more ‘commercially acceptable’ track which again is completely infectious as Marry’s voice glides along in his sexy French accent. 

Volcan seems to include a very similar riff to Jeans but is a lot more subdued and maybe less influenced than the sounds of Africa than its predecessors.  EP closer Dessine picks up the pace once more with a livelier affair and again an infectious sound and vocal.

Francois and The Atlas Mountains are a breath of fresh air and hold a lot of promise for some terrific releases in the future.  Keep an eye on this lot.

8/10


Links
Domino Records
Francois website
Francois on Twitter
Francois on Facebook


Published on Louder Than War 9/02/15 - here

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