3 out of 5

Label: Murailles Music

Produced by: Sourdurent and Johann Berger

An interesting mix of various folk styles / instrumentation, combining a swath of Afghani and Asian and French instrumentation (and traditional tunes) with an American South strum and rumble and a bit of klezmer – accepting that all of these may influence one another and cross over with one another already.

To my untrained ears, L​’​Herbe de D​é​tourne probably leans on the Afghani influence the most, the vocal stylings and group singing and playing style familiar to music I associate with raga, which is apparently seeded into the country’s music. However, this is absolutely a collaborative sound, and not one core style with extras: surprises are woven throughout, with a some very modern flourishes in the production, and the constant foot-tapping percussion keeping an appreciably loose but continual sense of momentum.

At the same time, compositions rarely get to what feel like “conclusions” or peaks – songs often feel like they’re just warming up by the time they end, and the production doesn’t quite play up the group vocals enough to drive home some of the bigger moments. Only one song – La Dumenchada – really feels like it stands above the fray, because it’s allowed a more propulsive backbeat and the vocalists start hooting and hollering a bit. Some more instances of this would’ve gone a long way to giving the recording further dimension, but it remains a generally engaging listen, especially when allowed a few spins to appreciate its nuances.