Prairie - And the Bird Said Cut Me Open and Sing Me (2020)

Prairie is the project of multi-instrumentalist and producer Marc Jacobs, hailing from Brussels with roots in The Netherlands. On stage, Prairie plays with two or three musicians and together they re-create a free association of musical ideas and atmo- spheres. Prairie has played in selected venues and festivals across Europe and for instance toured with Apparat. “And the Bird Said: Cut Me Open and Sing Me” is the second full length album on Denovali Records.

This album was inspired by the silence of the birds, by the tone between a mother and her daughter, by the Sandsnipe twins, by constant wailing sirens, by the memory of a Vangelis track. Composed in the city, in his studio Les Lacs and in the moun- tains of the French Cévennes, Jacobs integrates his various recording locations into his magnificent sound design. By using various recording techniques, analog gear, guitar pedals, synths, amps and human voices, “And the Bird Said: Cut Me Open and Sing Me” creates a fountain of sound layers which coalesce to synthetic and noise infused manipulations, dramatic crescendos and subtle field recordings.

Jacobs focuses on melodies, sometimes hidden melodies, or straight out melodies that took him back to various musical influences, current ones but also from his past, lurking into pop and loving imperfection. The lyrics of "Cut me Open" are the spine of the record, the scenario where various species of birds lead the way, and where each track is a short chapter of the flight.

Jacobs once again showcases a deep sensitivity to narrative and rich cinematic textures by creating a technicolor soundtrack.

"... his cosmos is located somewhere between Bohren & der Club of Gore and Sunn O))), ambient is as familiar to him as brachial sounds, and he is as much acquainted with guitars as with synths and modern technology" (GROOVE)
"... sounds like a requiem for this broken world." (SPEX)
"... Like Ben Frost, (Prairie) exudes a certain harshness while tempering his work with moments of sublime beauty. This isn’t club material; it’s music for the hammer in one’s hand, the confrontation of the demon, the soul-shattering revelation." (A Closer Listen)