Bran: Le carnet noir - CD

The tracks on the album Le carnet noir (The Black Notebook in English) can be divided into three groups. The first is comprised of distinctive arrangements of folk songs in Breton – the opening track Marzhin Foll is about the magician Merlin, unconventionally portrayed as an antihero. The group recorded the popular tune Tri martolod, made famous by Alan Stivell, as a gift to their fans after refusing to play it for several years, dismissing it as a cliché. The original arrangement of the Breton Christmas song Pe trouz war an douar (featuring a phenomenal vocal performance from the band's new frontman Robert Fischmann) is a tongue-in-cheek response to the frequent questions about whether the Bretons also have carols.

Another group consists of songs in French: the chilling ballad from Normandy, Quand je menai mes chevaux boire; the almost pop-jazz arrangement of La jument de Michao, in which the band still maintains its original acoustic sound; the surprisingly major and cheerful song Lundi mardi about a lecherous shoemaker; and finally, the slightly erotic Le phare, a musical setting of an ambiguous poem by the Breton accursed poet Tristan Corbière.

Completing the album are instrumental compositions, all of which, apart from the traditional dance Laridée-gavotte, were written by the band members – by the now-former singer and founder of the group, David Pajot, by accordionist Tomáš Görtler, and primarily by guitarist and producer of the record, Vojtěch Jindra. These include the track An dro, written, as its name suggests, on the rhythmic basis of perhaps the most widespread Breton dance form; the title waltz Le carnet noir, somewhat reminiscent of Yann Tiersen's film scores; and the final opus La croisée, in which Pajot's voice suddenly chimes in from overseas, where this “founding father” has permanently moved.

Tracklist

Marzhin Foll / Tri martolod / Laridée-gavotte / Quand je menai mes chevaux boire / La jument de Michao / An dro / Lundi mardi / Le carnet noir / Pe trouz war an douar / Le phare / La croisée