Cigale Post New Song “Harvest Begun”
Dutch four-piece Cigale introduce themselves with the song “Harvest Begun,” a sweet, air-toned melody that arrives somewhere between psychedelic folk and post-rock ambience. The band recorded their self-titled debut last year and, presumably, will release it sometime in 2015, and doubtless will turn some extra heads owing to guitarist Rutger Smeets and drummer Hans Mulders‘ past participation in defunct fuzzbearers Sungrazer, but in truth, Cigale are on a much different trip. If “Harvest Begun” is any example — and while it’s possible they’d put a song out to give people a first listen that had nothing to do with the rest of the album sonically, it seems like a silly idea — the vibe Cigale bring to bear is more serene, a wash of rich guitar tone bolstered by synth and multiple vocalists.
By late 2013, Cigale was in the studio tracking, and various teaser clips and rehearsal recordings have been released since then, but as I understand it, “Harvest Begun” is the first full song to surface from the album. It is a gorgeous first impression, with organ notes, a quiet snare shuffle underscoring from Mulders, and two guitars feeling their way through a progressing build that, by about halfway through the song, is brought to a head. Vocals add to the melody and emotional resonance of the track as the guitars get louder, but the vibe is more progressive than heavy, and while there’s definitely a peak to “Harvest Begun,” Cigale never take the song farther than it needs to go. The wash recedes quickly and they end quiet and thoughtful, which feels right given the organic nature of the sound and the human element at work in what they’re doing.
I’ll hope to have more on Cigale as they get closer to the self-titled’s release, but you can check out “Harvest Begun” in the video clip below. It’s not a video in the sense of the band playing in a warehouse — or, from the look of the above picture, a cafe — but even though the bulk of it is a shot of a record spinning on a turntable, the interpretative hand-dancing in the reflection of the EQ remind that there are people behind these otherworldly sounds. Also that those people sometimes enjoy making shadowpuppets.
Have fun:
