Frederic L'Epee - 2026 - Contre Courant

(66:41; Cuneiform Records)

There are times when one comes across an album which is so timeless and so beautiful one can only wonder how it dares to exist in a world where madness is the norm, along with a throwaway and plastic culture, yet somehow this has been brought to life by Frédéric L'Epée and my life is richer for having heard it. The idea behind this is somewhat simple, layer different guitars on top of each other to create a symphony which reminds me of Gordon Giltrap, Guitar Orchestra, and even some works by Robert Fripp or Anthony Phillips. 

These pieces combine classical thinking with progressive mindsets and the desire to create something which is highly polished and designed to take us away from the fractured world we inhabit. It is not a breath of fresh air, but more like a gale attempting to blow away the falseness of the world and instead imbue beauty and take all those who hear it to a much better place, transported. I am listening to this on headphones, and occasionally the tui outside my window makes itself heard with its beautiful song, and the sounds blend together and feel right. This is not something to be listened to while driving, or when doing the dishes or ironing, but when one wants to sit and tell the world to stop so we can get off, taken to a place where we can think, relax, and be true. It is the early morning when the dew is still on the grass, when the dawn chorus is singing and we do not have a care in the world, sitting dappled sunlight and remembering that at its heart we do live in a beautiful place, it is just the actions of a few which makes it ugly most of the time.

For those who want to be taken somewhere magical, with electric guitars showing the way, this is a wonderful aural experience. Just be warned the real world will feel quite jarring afterwards. 

Kev Rowland, July 2026

Links:
https://fredericlepee.eu/
http://www.cuneiformrecords.com/