Aigues Vives ‎– Water Of Seasons (1981, LP, Germany)

 

Named for a French town whose name in turn refers to "prosperous fountain/source", Aigues Vives was formed in 1971 in the part of Germany close to the Belgian border. Initially, they were influenced mostly by the progressive rock of their day, but several purges and reformations cast them as a mostly acoustic folk group with plenty of progressive touches. Not particularly German sounding, they nonetheless do bear some comparison to early Hoelderlin, Broselmaschine, or even Emtidi.
It was the third incarnation that finally committed a recording to posterity. Water of Seasons is an entrancing and trippy yet rooted disc that appeals across a broad spectrum of prog folk, psychedelic, and German progressive fans. It was released in a limited edition of 1000 copies and commands a healthy price among collectors.
After yet another lineup change, the group integrated a rock backing with medieval sounding folk in a homegrown cassette Dwarfs Casting Long Shadows, meant to presage a second LP that never materialized.