Wil Boar Rec.
Kadril : Grand Cru (B,comp.2011)*°'
Kadril is often seen as thé Belgium folk-rock band (not that we have so many folk-rock bands around) with a long history and some successes abroad, a real festival and podium beast. It is the live performances and recognisability, and the idea of a Flemish based folk community, which signifies the band really. Their approach is popularised folk in a pop/rock way, partly rooted in what is left behind in the most obvious modified traces of such Flemish folk traditions. Further they take the opportunity to add other traditions too in the same vein or add a few songs referring to vague situations that are no longer there, and make a few incomprehensible references to the Spanish period in Belgium which I only remember as a period where many of my ancestors were killed and their creative freedom with it, turning our country into a Catholic dominion which was more or less adapted.
The album at the same time is a celebration of their over 30 years existence with a 2CD selection referring to their over 130 tracks ever recorded, ready for a new live tour with them. In reality this compilation consists of a selection of their 4 latest albums, “Eva” (2009), “La Paloma Negra” (2009), “De Andere Kust” (2009), “Mariage” (2010) and some of the recordings compiled for the spring 2011 project “That’s all folk!”, a series of filmmusic with references to “Barry Lyndon” (Stanley Kubrick), “Black Cat White Cat” (Emir Kusturica) and songs like “Knockin’ on heaven’s door” (Bob Dylan) from “Pat Garret & Billy the Kid” (not included) or “Ik wil deze nacht in de straten verdwalen” (Wannes Van de Velde) (with a not so good version) from “Home Sweet home”, with the cooperation of Karla Verlie, Harlind Libbrecht and the Irish singer Daithi Rua.
Kadril had become an opportunity to become a mother goose for the rural Flemish folk community becoming the birth place of some individual talents that launched themselves from the Kadril platform with their own career, like the folk girl group Laïs or individual talents like the fine vocalist Eva De Roovere or Patrick Riguelle both singing Dutch songs in the band.
For a large part their formula works better for the countryside, where boomfolk or folkdance still are having some significance. Kadril also uses some aspects of folk that I hate endlessly. At some occasions possible, no matter what the songs are about, some ballroom repetitions occur, like the sort of endlessly boring and in folk history absolutely stupifying Irish jigs and a few other folk dance references are being exploited as if the public waits for it like monkeys for their bananas. Also the references to real life experiences or something that goes further or deeper than a small thought we don’t hear so well on the folk songs and Dutch songs. Technically they take care that there is enough variation in their sound. We have ballads and instrumentals and the more uptempo moments and also the musical contrasts in the arrangements are well worked out.
