NFV Song Spotlight: Sagittaire's Hi, It's Caroline

This was my second time catching Sagittaire, the brainchild of Ivan Mairesse. The first time was at Resident DTLA. That was back in August 2023. I so enjoyed the set that I listed Sagittaire as one of my favorite "new to me, but maybe not to you" bands of 2023. At the time, I described the music as a touch above subliminal.   

Sagittaire at Zebulon

Come March of 2024 and I finally got to catch another set, this time at the Zebulon. Interesting note is that Delanova played that Resident DTLA night in 2023. She was also supposed to play the Zebulon show, but had to cancel due to vocal problems. 

The set started off with Mairesse focused on his synthesizer and over the speakers was the sound of a Siren from the Odyssey, but in this case, it was not a mythical creature luring you to your death. Instead of leading the audience to their death, the voice was leading us through rough waters of a workday and towards the safety of a moment of tranquility. 

Sagittaire with brz (center) and Marcel Andrie (right) at Zebulon

Various guest vocalists were brought up throughout the set to lend their talents. Mairesse called them the Ascetic Faces crew. First up was Marcel “Mellow Marcy” Andrie who walked up on stage, enchanted by the Siren. Andrie kept a close eye on Mairesse for a few moments. When Mairesse gave him a nod, sang at a near whisper, as if he was telling a bedtime story to a young child. 

Joining for the next song was BRYNNE and brz. BRYNNE was a familiar face as she had also joined Sagittaire for that 2023 first encounter set. The fourth and final guest singer of the night was Sami Perez. Perez is a very familiar artist to me as I've seen her in bands such as Cherry Glazerr, Sad Girl, and her own band harry the nightgown. BRYNNE and Perez joined forces for an experimental jazz piece. 

Sagittaire with BRYNNE (center) and Same Perez (right) at Zebulon

Back in 2023, I suggested that people take a listen to "Hi, It's Caroline" and I see no reason not to highlight it for this blog post. The song is on the 2023 album Lucian & Caroline. The song has a hypnotic beat with vocals that repeat in a climatic manner.  

When she calls on the phone.
She says, "Hi, it's Caroline.