In the 1970s, Nef played their fingers sore on European stages. The first and only album of the French band was released in 1983. Now Ici Bientôt reissues the record. On »Mais Alors!?…. C’Est a l’Envers« the band recorded their Krautrock inspired sound experiments for posterity. The fact that the record was recorded with an 8-track recorder is hard to believe, as it is bursting with an impressive amount of ideas. Nef don’t limit themselves to the conventional rock band line-up, but expand it with instruments like synthesizer, harmonium and accordion. Not every sound can be identified immediately when listening to it, which is not due to a lack of knowledge, but to the unconventional use of music devices. Nef operate the guitar with a violin bow, prepare strings with clamps and beat the instruments against radiators. In the 38 minutes of »Mais Alors!?…. C’Est a l’Envers« the charm lies in discovering these highlights. To be strenuous with diligence, the record does not want nevertheless. Rather, it occupies a place between Classic Rock and New Wave, which it fills with both electric guitar solos (»Les Portes«) and drum computers (»Le Baromètre De L’oncle Adrien«). In the case of »Mais Alors!?…. C’Est a l’Envers«, a reissue makes sense not only because of the music. A part of the first pressing was produced faulty, many more copies were destroyed by a storage flooding.
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