Very little, unfortunately, has been written thus far about France’s NLF3 Trio in either the European or American music press. Perhaps it’s part of the Francophobe conspiracy currently in vogue on both sides of the Atlantic. At any rate, the group’s debut album, Viva!, is a magnificent, engaging record more akin to jazz than post rock or French electronica, all of which they share elements, respectively. Their music is fairly difficult to classify. An obvious comparison would be a more “instrumental,” darker incarnation of the French group Air. In fact, some elements of the record bear a slight resemblance to the Seventies prog-rock stylings of Air’s The Virgin Suicides score. NLF3 Trio’s focus, however, is more on composition than songwriting, unlike a great deal of Air’s catalogue. Furthermore, while Air’s albums (particularly Moon Safari) have a reputation as being great albums to make love to, Viva!, on the other hand, might be more inclined to make your girlfriend have second thoughts about you if played in a bedroom setting. It’s edgy stuff.
Generally consisting of live instrumentation, Viva! begins with an organ, piano, fuzz guitar, electric bass, and some rather virtuosic jazz drumming. Throughout the album the trappings of contemporary (and not-so-contemporary) jazz are present: Wurlitzer, Fender Rhodes, Hammond Organ, vibes, Latin percussion, etc. “Nightflight to Granada” is an eerie track which recalls the early Seventies crossover jazz sound of early Bob James, particularly James’s classic “Nautilus.” Another fair comparison regarding several of the tracks might be Greyboy or David Holmes, with their focus on vintage keyboard-influenced downtempo. Unlike these DJs, however, NLF3 Trio’s music is not sample-based “trip-hop” (although, to be fair, NLF3 Trio’s music, like that of the above artists, could easily be used as the score for a contemporary noir thriller). But the nocturnal, noir-ish current running through this album is undeniably fresh. Viva! is an extremely dense and atmospheric listen, and well worth it, if you can find it.
1. Hihahaha Land
2. Side 20
3. Running the Sun
4. Screenrise
5. Nightflight to Granada
6. Orféu
7. My Horses Never Run
8. Coffee or Tea
9. Luces
10. Crack
11. So Sweet
12. John C. and Jig on a Boat
13. Red Yellow and Black
14. Foghorn
15. And the Chalk Breaks
16. Pingo
17. Alizés
18. Souls at the Pool
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