Thomas Belhom
Cheval Oblique
Apparent Extent 2007

01. Heaven
02. Who's Who?
03. 7000 Islands
04. Oblique
05. Boulangerie
06. Aircraft
07. Mont St. Michel
08. Pianomeka
09. Electrolyse
10. Banjo
11. Sushi
12. Porto Cesareo
13. Cheval

Fifth solo record by French multi-instrumentalist and drummer 'extraordinaire' Thomas Belhom. Hard-working he may be, but on quite a low profile, when comparing the exposure his compatriots Colleen (Cécile Schott) or Yann Encre have got. Must've been DJ Krush's mixtape that first brought me to his work - you know drums are definitely Krush's thing - and now Cheval Oblique comes loaded with more, mostly built around Thomas' "one-man-orchestra" sets, with several guest appearances. The album's title hints, apparently, to his own posture during live play (resembling something of a "twisted horse"?), but I think there's more to this "obliqueness" metaphorically as well, which makes the music a unique expression. "Like the best Can record never made combined with a Konono No.1", to quote Boomkat's namedrop ever trusty, though I would've hardly thought of that myself. It could be rock, it could be jazz, but it's neither of the two, and above everything, it's all about experiencing sound. What seems loose and - in a jazz sense - lushly improvised is carefully composed. There are lots of melodies throughout, with various instruments added to percussion (contrabass, violoncello, trumpet, trombone, guitar, accordion, organ, toy piano, synths, etc.); however, they feel almost surreal, as if drowned in a bigger pool of consciousness, trying to make their way out, instead always sucking you within. The challenge here would basically be... finding the melodies, placing them in a wider context, and just taking time/space to enjoy them, because Belhom's obliqueness seems so blessed with liveness (another major attribute I can't unfortunately apply to Colleen's latest), it's a true pity to let pass. Looking forward to seeing him on stage someday - until then, chapeau!

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