For almost 20 years now, Snaarmaarwaar have been touring stages, concert halls and dance floors in Belgium and abroad. One guitar, one mandola, one mandolin, a set of spare strings and the immense joy of playing together: nothing more needed to lift the audience with their inspiring tunes and magical live vibe. Their new record is called “LYS” and it tells the story of the capricious and beautiful roads they have been walking with their music, exactly like the eponymous river that takes a sometimes lively, sometimes meandering course between Belgium and France.
For the recording of the album at Studio Trad they went back to basics: three guys, ready to play, gathered around one microphone. What you see is what you get. It felt like going back to their roots: a rediscovery of the mysterious way their unique sounds blend together; a point where it’s impossible to tell who’s playing which line and who’s launching the next melody. It has also been a rediscovery of the deep warmth and the resonating colours of their instruments and the magnificent mastery of the luthiers that spent a lifetime crafting their art. In contrast to their earlier album, B.L.O.C.K - where they used all possibilities in the recording studio, imagining wide arrangements and lots of overdubs - for “LYS” they chose to focus on absolute clarity, putting the spotlight on the purified sound of the sparkling strings they love so much. Sit down, open your ears and your heart, this music is like a warm blanket ready to comfort you.