Francois Virot & PHERN
The advent of any new Atelier Ciseaux release is worthy of being a proper bank holiday at least in France & Canada respectively. And this week’s release of the the new EP split from Lyon’s Francois Virot & Montreal super-group PHERN (that checks members from Moss Lime, Lantern, Each Other, Soft Cone, Sheer Agony & R U Real) brllianttly illustrates the innovative approaches to international artistry that have made the imprint one of the world’s most influential DIY labels.
The 7″ vinyl split commences with Francoi Virot’s visceral hand clapping, guitar fuzz blaring, trainer stromping “Choochoo”, complete with plenty of locomotive whistle samples throughout. Virot brings all the energy that is the sound of nervous energy being put to good use of percussion & a host of really fun wailing guitar shreds. And that’s when PHERN arrives with the moody art pop of “Paper” that is the sound of something like an arts & craft afternoon that is transformed into an installation piece of inspired pop theater. The Montreal collaborative wizards keep their synergy swimming with plenty of tenacity that offers an unpredictable & primordial arrangements of humming harmonies with chords that follow primitive drum beat trails. Francois Virot returns to close out the EP split with “Legal Rough” that is a stripped down electric invitation toward the more tenebrous avenues where droning synths are sustained amid an array of blinking effects to add more to the song’s own elusive & smokey atmosphere.
PHERN penned the following exclusive array of insights about the making of their Atelier Ciseaux split with Francois Virot:
For the songs we did for the split we imagined what it would be like to play music as cats. What kind of music would cats play? What kind of music would cats WANT? Throw a ball of yarn on a keyboard, what kind of sound does it make? Are those guitars? Or the meowing of a midnight alley cat? These were types of questions we were asking ourselves during our writing process.
Francois Virot and his band are coming from France to play with us for the release show in Montreal September 27 at Brasserie Beaubien, and then they will go on an Eastern Canada tour passing by Quebec, Ottawa, Halifax , Toronto. Dates will be announced September 26th! We are very stoked that Atelier Ciseaux made it happen.
The Francois Virot/PHERN split is available now via Atelier Ciseaux, limited to 200 copies.
Catch Francois Virot, PHERN & company on the following tour dates:
September
30 Fredericton, NB- Read’s Newsstand & Cafe w/ Dizzy & The Kittens…
October
06 Quebec, QC – Le Scanner w / Jazz Police, Bleu Nuit, Larlo
15 Montreal, QC – Das Kuhl Haus w / Julia Julian, Emmett McCleary…
27 Montreal, QC – Brasserie Beaubien w / PHERN…
30 Fredericton, NB – Read’s Newsstand & Cafe w/ Dizzy & The Kittens…
06 Quebec, QC – The Scanner w / Jazz font, Blue Night, larlo
15 Montreal, QC – The Kuhl house w / Julia Julian, Emmett Mccleary…
03 Halifax, NS – TBA
25 Namur, BE – Les w / Brns, idalg
26 Paris, FR – The station
27 Chalon-sur-Saône, FR – North Port
November
25 Marseille, FR – The sewing machine w / Sierra Manhattan
26 Dijon, FR – Deep inside w / Sierra Manhattan
27 Strasbourg, FR – Trocafé w / Sierra Manhattan
30 Vevey, CH – RKC w/ Sierra Manhattan
December
02 Grenoble, FR – LA TBC w / Sierra Manhattan
14 Clermont Ferrand, FR – Raymond Bar w / Sathonay, Strange Company
16 poitiers, FR – Modern Comfort w / Frustration, Forever Poppy
