Malicorne

The French folk-rock outfit Malicorne was formed in Paris in 1973 by Gabriel Yacoub, Marie Yacoub, Hughes de Courson, and Laurent Vercambre. Known for their amalgamation of electric and organic instrumentation, which often incorporated instruments like the dulcimer or the bouzouki, the band made its official debut in 1974 with the album Malicorne I, followed by Malicorne 2 (1975), Almanach (1976), and Malicorne 4 (1977). Even though their first four LPs mostly consisted of traditional French folk songs, their 1978 concept album L'Extraordinaire tour de France d'Adélard Rousseau ushered in a new era in the history of the group as they began adding elements from gothic and prog-rock. This was also the case for its follow-up album, Le Bestiaire (1979), which found the Yacoubs juxtaposing their compositional dexterity with experiments in early electronic music. Malicorne would disband shortly after the release of the commercially-oriented Balançoire En Feu (1981), only to reconvene a few years later for a final album titled Les Cathédrales de L'Industrie (1986). Following their second breakup in 1986, the band released a few compilation albums and focused mainly on their solo efforts. In 2010, Malicorne reunited with a new lineup and toured extensively throughout Europe until their final show in August 2017. On January 22, 2025, Marie Yacoub announced the death of her husband at 72.