Review: Rhùn - Ïh (2013)

Artist: Rhùn
Album: Ïh
Year: 2013
Label: AltrOck

Review: Diego Camargo

Rate: 

Thoughts: Rejoice Magma fans, you’re not orphans anymore!
Rhùn, a new French band, is the continuation (even though Magma is not dead) of the classic 70’s band.

There’s very little info about the band in the internet and all we know is that the sextet is formed by
Captain Flapattak (vocals and drums), Damoon (bass and vocals), Thybo (guitars and vocals), Sam (saxophones, flutes and vocals), Fabien De Kerbalek (guitars and vocals) and Brunöh (saxophones, bassoon and vocals).

Ïh (2013) is in fact a collection of songs recorded by the band between 2008 and 2012. This album consists of their demo from 2008 and their EP Ïh (2012). Both of these releases were independent ones, so as soon as the band signed with AltrOck the label did the right thing, joined both together and now we have their proper first album.

Of course Rhùn is not, but they pretty much could be a continuation of their compatriots from Magma. A drummer singer, lyrics in Kobayan (language invented by Christian Vander, Magma's leader), many vocals all around and a sound that doesn’t fit anywhere. That’s what we have right in the first track of Ïh ‘Toz’.

After a radical change in the last bit of the first track, the second one ‘Intermud’ starts attached to the previous but this time only with wind instruments. That’s Zehul for you, weird and indecipherable.
Third track ‘Dunb’ brings the band back to their best abilities. There are frantic riffs, a pulsating bass, saxophones all around, many vocals and a confusion of sounds. Great track!

The next three tracks were recorded in 2008 and I thought that they would suffer a bit with lack of quality, but it’s completely not the case here. Ïh (2013) has a unity besides not being recorded altogether and it really seems as if it was.

‘Bùmlo’ is full of great ideas and crazy parts, everything packed very well with saxophones and intricate patterns all along.
‘Mlùez’ is a bit more melodic, more Jazz Rock oriented perhaps, which makes the track very interesting. A bit of a change in the overall pace of the album. Another great track!

Last track ‘Ïh’ starts slowly, a bit like ‘Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun’ from Pink Floyd, in fact, I think that the band had exactly that in mind!
The song pretty much follows this pattern through a bit more than half of it and then alternates with female vocals, saxophones and the Space Rock kind of mood but with a bit more of Rock And Roll.

My honest opinion is that if you like Magma and the bands that follow the Avant Prog/Zehul path in general (like Rhùn compatriots Jack Dupon, read the review HERE), you should go for Ïh (2013) without even thinking about it, because Rhùn is everything you would want!

Highly recommended!

The band was included in our Podcast #23 and you can listen the track 'Toz' HERE.