I have never been to France, so I haven’t been to Brittany/Bretagne/Breizh either. I guess I should visit that northwestern corner of France, because it has a fabulous culture of Celtic music, there’s a unique Celtic language and the history of the region is fascinating. And it’s where the village of Asterix was located, so perhaps some of the magic potion remains around to make Breton folk music so vibrant?
Ampouailh was the very first Breton band I heard when I began my journey into Celtic music about a decade ago. I loved the band’s debut album, Fest-Noz ar Gêr Wenn (2009) instantly: the energy, the music familiar and strange at once, the ancient, lively sound of the bombard… Listened now, that album is still great but a bit rough compared to what has happened since.
Ampouailh albums seem to come out every few years: 2009, 2012, 2017 (a live album), the excellent Dasson in 2022, and now in 2025, Lang(u)ages. The periods between releases are long enough for the band to recalibrate a bit, perhaps see some lineup changes too. And so every Ampouailh release is a bit different from its predecessor, and that is the case again (for this album, flautist Rémy Bouguennec has replaced sax player Mickaël Derrien).
Dasson was a pretty robust affair, with large sound, electric bass quite in front in the mix and so many tunes with irresistable grooves, it was almost a party-ready Breton folk fest playlist all by itself. Now, three years later, Lang(u)ages finds the band in a more subdued style but, in my subjective opinion, in their best form ever, period. This release shot easily right into the top 3 on my best albums of 2025 list.
They won me over already with the first track, War hent Fest a gren. The natural, vivid sound, full of light and yet firmly in their region’s soil; the beautiful and joyful melodies, the impeccable collective playing – and the bombard, bringing bright greetings from so many centuries ago and yet sounding as if it belongs to this day as much as it did to the 15th century. I do love “olde musicke” of 1100-ca. 1500 (any believers in reincarnation out there?) and tunes like this seem to break down the barriers of ages…
…which seems to be something of a theme of this album. I don’t speak French but the DeepL AI translator helped me read what the band themselves tell us of the album on their web site:
At the heart of “lang(u)ages” lies a deep reflection: Why do humans repeat their mistakes, prisoners of an ancestral cycle? If the human being is, potentially, a free being, can he really deny the experience of the past? Like the dancer who falls and gets back up, the album explores this perpetual movement where the individual abandons his ego in favor of the collective. Like Breton night parties, Ampouailh’s music invites us to join circles without beginning or end, where dance becomes pure energy, shared pleasure and dissolution of individualities. A cycle that is constantly renewed, which opens with a walk inviting you to go to the fest-noz, and closes with a lullaby, bringing back to the origin: the language transmitted, the exchange with a new being. It is up to each person to invent and choose his or her “lang(u)ages”.
Absolutely beautiful, and believe me: that is a stupendously accurate description of what the fully instrumental music here feels like, what it communicates. Lang(u)ages is full of music that celebrates life and transcends time and – indeed – ages! At times wondefully grooving and dancing (Deñved Guerveno) or meditative and contemplative (Gavotte des Montagnes: Bal) and yet at other points downright cinematic and storytelling, without any words (Laridenn).
The musicians are wonderful, and the fine production brings out both the detail and the band’s collective sound. I’m absolutely sold, totally love this. Maybe it’s the way I adore the creativity, the overall sound, the tunes and the way Celtic/Breizh folk music meets the medieval/Renaissance feel, as written and performed by these excellent people: Heikki Bourgault (guitar; some of you may recall Heikki’s collaborations with Calum Stewart), Rémy Bouguennec (flute), Yuna Léon (fiddle), Simon Lotout (bombard) and Gwylan Meneghin (bass).
Thank you so much Ampouailh / Trugarez!
Listen to Lang(u)ages on any major streaming platform and/or buy the CD from https://arfolk.bzh/en/boutique/ampouailh-languages/ (17.50 €)
FolkNotes 