Abacaxi - 2024 - Quetzal

(31:09; Carton Records)

There are times when I feel I must be living in a real-life algorithm, in that while back in the 90’s most of the music I was sent was fairly straightforward progressive rock and metal, these days I am sent far more improvised music which is rather more difficult to ascertain on first hearing and takes a long time to get inside. I guess it is the simple fact that the more I review in a certain area the more my reviews are seen by other artists and labels also working in that area, so they make contact. I think this is my first review for the French label Carton Records, and I see they have a huge catalogue, so guess I will be hearing even more from them in the future.

Here we have Abacaxi’s debut release on Carton, and I must confess I can find virtually no information about them anywhere, so while I think this is their first ever release, I could be wrong. The trio of Julien Desprez (guitar), Jean Francois Riffaud (bass), and  Francesco Pastacaldi (drums, synth), have gone into the studio with the idea of creating improvised mayhem, over which they then laid some additional instrumentation. While Krautrock is an obvious influence, what we have here is a trio who are more than happy to bring in elements of noise and plenty of guitar to create music which at times can be quite unsettling. It took at least three plays before I started to think of this as inventive and exciting music as opposed to three guys making a racket in a room. Mind you, the majority of people who hear this will still think of it as such as they are not prepared to spend the time and energy required to make sense of it all. Some of the low synth lines are filthy dirty, sounding as if ghost of Chris Squire has been in the room to keep turning it down, and while they often sound totally off the wall there are also some highly synchronised passages which can only come from plenty of rehearsal and practice.

Avant garde, challenging, improvisation and experimental, they can also be minimalist as well as well as full on indie tock as they blast through sonic walls to create a unique identity. While Can could be seen as an influence, this is definitely all Abacaxi and well worth the time you will need to get inside.

Kev Rowland, April 2025

Links:
https://www.cartoncartoncarton.com/