Usually, when a band ‘defies categorization’, it’s just a way of saying that they are different to run-of-the-mill groups, while still operating in familiar territories. But sometimes, there comes a band that is truly worthy of the epitome. Le Grand Sbam are one of those W.T.F. bands. Today, Everything Is Noise presents the premiere of “Dins o Sbam”, the opening track from upcoming album Vaisseau Monde.
If it was possible to anchor them down and pinpoint genres – which is a futile exercise – they would be something like a supernova of: the weirdness of Magma (the French prog group), the dissonance of Fantômas (the Mike Patton project), the ambience of an experimental theatre group on hallucinogenic drugs, and maybe the feeling of the more extreme Kronos Quartet stuff. But with Le Grande Sbam, just when you are about to cling on to whatever shred of composition you were hoping for, that’s when it all falls apart. Out of nowhere, there might be some crazy screaming, maybe a quieter part, even if it still carries a feeling of uneasiness. That’s why the band describes themselves as ‘passionately dedicated to music creation, research and experimentation.’ And that’s probably putting it mildly.
“Dins o Sbam”, the first single from upcoming record Vaisseau Monde – Vessel World in English – is not as out there as one might think, at least when compared with the remaining tracks. That is the word of mouth on the internet, anyway. The band was also considered more of a myth than an actual, existing group due to their secrecy. Members of Le Grand Sbam have been part of projects like Hidden People, PinioL, and Saint Sadrill, and give themselves pseudonyms like Mamcochon, Princess Goyaya, Acchiourdiou, and El Glouton; just to make sure that even their identities are up there with the plain bizarreness of their spaced-out, trippy, prog-ish opera sounding music.
Vaisseau Monde will be out December 6 on Dur et Doux, and is now available for pre-order on CD, LP and digital formats. You should also check out Le Grande Sbam on Facebook.
