Corne De Vache

Singer Anna Homler, keyboardist Geert Waegeman, and drummer Pavel Fajt (Pluto, the Danubians) performed at the 1996 Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville, and the label Disques Victo released the concert as Corne de Vache (Cow's Horn) a year later. The trio revisited some of the songs found on their CD Macaronic Sines (Lowlands, 1995), added a handful of new material and improvisations, and scaled everything to a living room atmosphere. Homler uses her beautiful satin voice to sing dreamlike lyrics in English and in her own invented tongue. Throughout the show she plays various toy instruments and small objects. Waegeman, apart from his keyboards and samplers, also adds mandolin and violin. Fajt's percussion work is lighter than usual, very subtle to accommodate the delicate music. Saxophonist Koen Van Roy guests on a few pieces. The music of this trio builds a bridge between pop song and avant-garde improvisation. A bit of spoken word, a touch of cabaret jazz, East-European sonorities, and always this fantastic soft-spoken voice. The performance remained intimate throughout, making Corne de Vache a perfect late-night record. Homler's songs sound simple, but there is so much going on into the arrangements that every listen brings out new textures. Fans of Iva Bittova and Haco, or even Pascal Comelade (for the simplicity and the use of toys), should easily relate to Corne de Vache. ~ François Couture, Rovi