The new EP from the Founding our own Glorious Chapels-collective based in Nancy, France, caught my attention, because I was looking for something to soothe “my jangled nerves” (which Simpsons-character uses that expression, huh?) in the middle of all the troubles around us. Amorevolezza was the perfect choice, for its 11:11 minutes are a wonderful way to catch breath!
The collective based in Nancy in the Lorraine-region caught my attention in the spring of 2021, when our old fellow Pat reviewed one of their records, Notre Dame de La Colline and his album Poèmes fous pour herbes fraîches. When we received a promo email from the Glorious Chapels-collective I immediately secured it for me and was just waiting for the right moment. And here it is.
Sometimes there are these short, blooming records that simply catch one’s attention by slowing down ones breath and heartbeat due to sheer beauty. As soon as the very first few notes of ”Edellöwe” are trickling down your ear channels and into seep into the unconscious unconsciousness and soon, the song will spread its warmth from there down your spinal chord and slowly fill you up completely. The soft trickling of the vibraphone, being hit ever so gently it becomes like a massage for the keys, accompanied by the lush and soft strumming of a guitar, where you can even hear the little bend at the end of tone, this combination ends in a soundscape somewhere between Folk and Post-Rock, Neo-Classical and Americana. It is much more than a sound experiment, it is the result of three people who met as part of this new “chapel”, as the collective likes to call their projects, and whose only goal seemingly has been the creation of pure aural beauty.
”Artischockenherz” is a tinge darker at the beginning, with a slight undertone of the heartbeat of a simple 80s horror shocker – but as soon as the vibraphone comes back again, this feeling falls apart and we can hear how well-structured these songs are. Each part is given the necessary time to unfold its meaning and its glory. The chapels’ idea is to provide musical context for their independent-to-the-max idea, and as each project has its own ideas, each becomes a “chapel” for its signature sound. In ”Artischockenherz”, one can witness many different tracks, it seems as if this is the song with the most layers out of the three songs – here you can hear a deep rumbling string instrument – maybe a cello or a classical double bass.
Track three, ”Vergissmeinnicht”, whose live session you can also see below, is a wonderful ending to this first EP by La Chiesa Dei Fiori (The Church of the Flowers), for it shows the meaningfulness of silence as the trio leaves a tiny bit of silence between the first few tones so that we can fill them with our own thoughts of love and empathy. In the realm of La Chiesa Dei Fiori is no spot for anger or hate, that is neither their intention nor a possibility when listening to the three tracks. They all share a common goal and that could be seen as a wish to share some fondness among and onto their listeners – because that is what Amorevolezza means in English: Fondness. And, believe me, after these eleven minutes you will probably have nothing but a deep, meaningful “fondness” for La Chiesa Dei Fiori and their soothing music!
