DISCOGRAPHY
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2019  : " Into the Jungle ", Klam Records, dist: l'Autre Distribution  
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CHRONICLES
 
"Alan and Youen Paranthouen, respectively violinist and accordionist, already known thanks to the group Spontus, in Brittany and around the world.
They've been playing together for around twenty-five years, and today release their first duet album, Into the jungle, which turns out to be an unexpected gem, with hypnotic rhythms, almost psychedelic rock riffs and a combination which recalls the singing, - for example, of the Fratelli Mancuso or the Everly Brothers - a natural combination of two voices, although these voices are in this case the violin and the diatonic accordion.
Passionate music, sometimes almost hypnotizing, sometimes with subtle and very quiet moments, but above all this enthusiasm that immediately draws you in as a listener.
Exciting music too, which seems to combine the best of minimal music with psychedelic rock and Breton folklore. An absolute must!"
Moors Magazine (Dutch newspaper)
 
 
"The brothers are fiddle player Alan and singer and button accordionist Youen. Their repertoire is largely the dance music of the Morbihan region in the south of Brittany. They have been playing for dancing together for more than a quarter of a century and their previous albums have been as the melody instruments of one of Brittany's leading quartets, Spontus, which has been much praised in these review pages.
They are regarded as innovators in that the usual pairing of instruments was the famous combination of bombarde and the biniou, the Breton bagpipe, which they have adapted for their own instruments and they play these tunes in the strict structures that the various Breton dance sequences demand , though this debut album as a duo shows that they are moving beyond that.
Fundamentally this is still functional dance music but three factors seem to contribute to this development. They have a lifetime's experience of what will and what will not work for these dances and this firm grounding enables them to create whilst remaining rooted within their tradition. Thus they can display their obvious virtuosity whilst continuing to play purposeful dance music. A third factor is the very close empathy that they bring to playing together; something that is usually found, as here, with close blood relations.
This progression means that they are extending their range to include concerts as well as dances in their performances; deservedly so because this is very interesting music."
Vic Smith, Roots
 
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""Welcome to “the [danceable] Jungle” of the Vannes area with the Frères Paranthoën! With 25 years on the road with Spontus, and within the Klam collective, the Paranthoën brothers (Alan and Youen) have been asserting themselves artistically, and have decided to leave their comfort zone.
This is actually their first recording as a duo: diatonic accordion, violin, and vocals. Their minimalist choice for this album will be a landmark in the dance repertoire of the Vannes area.
It is uncommon to hear the accordion and the violin merge in such a way! No leader here, but two sensitive artists at the service of music and creation, much to the dancers’ delight.
The accordion's subtle and dynamic bellows action meets the violin's bow, and they offer us contemporary sounds that faithfully echo their musical heritage. Beautiful moments of vocal emotion - "kom a raer din" - which, despite their nostalgic mood, are very close to city blues atmospheres.
This album is of a rare musical and artistic intensity, and offers us an insight into traditional music that is very much alive and 100% contemporary.
Gérard Viel, Five Planets