Nimal -

Nimal was a Swiss chamber-rock/folk band from Neuchâtel that released a 1987 self-titled album on local ReR-subsidiary RecRec Music, followed by the 1990 disc Voix de Surface. The band’s third and final album, DisTanz, appeared in 1992 on the French ReR branch Ayaa.

Members: Jean-Maurice Rossel (guitar, hurdy-gurdy, bouzouki), Tom Cora (cello), Bratko Bibič (accordion), Jean 20 Huguenin (guitar, bass, keyboards), Pippin Barnett (drums)

Background

Nimal formed in Neuchâtel in 1987 when the former Débile Menthol pair of multi-instrumentalist Jean-Maurice “Momo” Rossel and guitarist–percussionist Jean-Vincent Huguenin converged with New York cellist Tom Cora and drummer Pippin Barnett.

Débile Menthol made the 1982–85 albums Émile au Jardin Patrologique and Battre Campagne on RecRec, the Swiss division of ReR Megacorp. Cora and Barnett came from Curlew, with Cora also active in Skeleton Crew, both in the hemisphere of Fred Frith. Accordionist Bratko Bibič, formerly of the Ljubljana group Begnagrad, completed the core lineup.

Rossel brought the Neuchâtel connection to RecRec through Débile Menthol, while Cora linked the group to the New York improvising circuit.

Nimal

Nimal released their self-titled debut album in 1987 on RecRec Music.

Jean-Maurice Rossel wrote all eight titles and built the album around guitar, accordion, bouzouki, bass, piano, percussion, effects, and DX100 synthesizer. The program opens with the ten-minute “La semaine des quatre jeudis,” then shifts into shorter pieces with track-specific guest parts.

Rossel performs the core parts, with drummer Pippin Barnett on “La semaine des quatre jeudis,” cellist Tom Cora on “Un drame” and “Maligne,” and saxophonist Didier Pietton on “Dimanche.” Keyboardist Victor de Bros appears on “La marelle,” while percussionist Gilles V. Rieder appears on “Au zoo.” Dominique Diebold also appears on “Maligne.”

“La semaine des quatre jeudis” splinters a slow, somber lead into stop-start section breaks, then swivels toward quicker folk-dance motion with jagged accents. “Dimanche” drones through an off-kilter keyboard figure before the arrangement tightens around a late reed entry. “Animal Triste” fractures the album’s bleak side with close-voiced wordless chant set against harsher ensemble noise.

“La Marelle” lurches between sour keyboard cadence, livelier passagework, and a return to unsettled phrasing. “Un Drame” holds a dronal guitar figure under shifting tone and blunt accent patterns. “Le Tram” extends the same skewed motion, then thins into a suspended drone before the final break. “Maligne” subsides into deliberate cello strokes and slow cadence turns.

A1. “La semaine des quatre jeudis” [The Week of Four Thursdays] (10:04)
A2. “Dimanche” [Sunday] (2:46)
A3. “Animal triste” [Sad Animal] (4:21)

B1. “La marelle” [Hopscotch] (4:26)
B2. “Au zoo” [At the Zoo] (3:55)
B3. “Un drame” [A Drama] (2:06)
B4. “Le tram” [The Tram] (1:44)
B5. “Maligne” [Wicked] (3:07)

Sessions occurred at Studio des Usines in Neuchâtel. Rossel produced the album with Cora and Diebold, and Rossel mixed the release.

Voix de Surface

Nimal released their second album, Voix de Surface, in October 1990 on RecRec Music.

Voix de Surface includes eleven tracks by Momo Rossel, who plays guitar, bouzouki, hurdy-gurdy, keyboards, bass, and accordion; joined by drummer Pippin Barnett. The expanded Nimal lineup includes multi-instrumentalists Tom Cora (cello, electric bass, accordion), Bratko Bibič-Faninger (harmonica, bell, accordion), and Jean-Vin Huguenin (bass guitar, electric guitar, piano).

“Une Lucie” careens through quick folk-dance accents, then drops into a heavy half-time close. “In tenda” tightens around bent cello figures and jagged solo turns. “Sale temps, mais les couleurs sont belles” drones through an eerie opening, then gathers speed into a brighter dance cadence. “Tarotska” jolts through fast accordion motion and yodeled vocal bursts. “Le Soleil” brightens the album with lighter dance phrasing and direct ensemble lift.

“La Marelle” snaps the same buoyant surface into more unsettled accents. “James River” fractures through harsh bowed figures and grating phrase turns. “Animal triste” opens in near-chaos before the ensemble regains a more legible refrain. “Le Tram” swerves toward carnival motion, then loosens into happy disorder. “Au Zoo” slows the pace with low-register drama before the final section crests. “Un drame” begins with a low, ritual-like tread and rises through denser percussion to an abrupt stop.

1. “Une Lucie” [A Lucie] (5:46)
2. “In tenda” [In the Tent] (5:46) – Cora
3. “Sale temps, mais les couleurs sont belles” [Bad Weather, but the Colors Are Beautiful] (5:05) – Huguenin
4. “Tarotska” [Tarotska] (3:40) – Bibič-Faninger
5. “Le Soleil” [The Sun] (5:16)
6. “La Marelle” [Hopscotch] (5:04)
7. “Le 4ème Jeudi de la semaine” [The 4th Thursday of the Week] (2:42)
8. “James River” [James River] (5:11) – Cora
9. “Maligne” [Wicked] (3:00)
10. “La 2ème Jeudi” [The 2nd Thursday] (3:57)
11. “La 3ème Jeudi” [The 3rd Thursday] (3:04)
12. “Animal triste” [Sad Animal] (4:11)
13. “Le Tram” [The Tram] (2:55)
14. “Au zoo” [At the Zoo] (5:05)
15. “Un drame” [A Drama] (4:45)

Nimal recorded the first six titles at Studio CCAM in Nancy with engineer François Dietz. The group recorded the MIMI 89 material in July 1989 with engineer Flavio Vigne, then recorded the Musique Action Internationale 89 material with engineer Daniel Koskowitz. Dietz mixed the Studio CCAM material with Bibič-Faninger and Rossel. Huguenin mixed the festival material at Studio des Usines in Neuchâtel with Rossel and Cédric Vuille.

DisTanz

Nimal released their third and final album, DisTanz, in 1992 on Ayaa.

DisTanz features the core trio of drummer Pippin Barnett and multi-instrumentalist Momo Rossel (guitars, sampler, bouzouki, bass, accordion, hurdy-gurdy, violin, melodica, percussion) and Bratko Bibič-Faninger (accordion, melodica, piano, harmonica, voice). Additional players include drummer Daniel Spahni, euphonium player Shirley Hoffman, bassists André Schenk and Nino De Gleria, and clarinetists Cédric Vuille and Pierre Kaufmann.

“Opa!” darts through fast-changing accents and restless figures without settling into a repeated line. “Pain Sec” parades through bittersweet folk-circus phrasing with a blunt, public-square cadence. “Last Call for Summer ’90” hiccups around clipped percussion details and a more direct refrain. “Grand Carré” tumbles through a long downhill rush, with darkened phrase turns and quick section jolts.

“Ein warmer Schnee-Kuss” brightens the sequence with simpler, snow-lit cadence work. “Au Nord” slows into a noisier lament, with the lead line held against rougher ensemble grain. “Od Tukaj do Zdaj” brings the album’s first harder surge, with trickier electric figures and a sharper change in ensemble drive. “Assez d’Assauts!” and “Ba(a)l” keep that late-album lift through compact bursts and angled accent patterns. “Ce qu’il en reste…” and “Campagnes” close the record with steadier folk-dance motion, more measured phrasing, and abrupt final turns.

1. “Opa!” (4:26)
2. “Juillet” [July] (4:37)
3. “Fragile, Pt. I & II” (0:54)
4. “Pain sec” [Dry Bread] (1:58)
5. “Last Call for Summer ’90” (3:12)
6. “Grand Carré” [Grand Square] (8:01)
7. “Ein warmer Schnee-Kuss” [A Warm Snow-Kiss] (2:47)
8. “Au Nord” [In the North] (4:36)
9. “Od Tukaj do Zdaj” [From Here to Now] (6:58)
10. “Assez d’assauts!” [Enough Assaults!] (4:23)
11. “Dis-Tanz” [Distance/Dance] (4:09)
12. “Ba(a)l” (3:38)
13. “Ce qu’il en reste…” [What Remains of It…] (4:30)
14. “Campagnes” [Countryside] (5:44)

The cover shows a painterly abstraction on a blue-and-white ground. Three tall black vertical forms—possible symbols for the three core members—occupy the lower half, each partly overlaid with rough brushwork in red, orange, yellow, and green.

Discography: