Monday 17 October 2016

Sloche - J'un Oiel (1975)



Fantastic canadian band whose sole 2 albums are classic Gentle Giant styled music with just as much  exemplary musicianhip. This is their first album.

Together with Maneige and Et Cetera, Sloche is part of the Quebecois Holy Trinity of 70s Prog. Their debut album is an outstanding musical work that fairly deserves all the good rap that it usually gets in the Internet. Definitely, Sloche is one of those many unsung prog heroes that most prog collectors only got to know through CD technology and WWW merchandising. Their music tends to be a bit more bombastic that their aforementioned fellows, while keeping a similar fusion-oriented vein as Maneige; meanwhile, the dual keyboard layers provide a symphonic feel every now and then. The fusion facet is clearly influenced by Return to Forever and Weather Report, albeit less pompous than the former and a more uplifting than the latter. I observe some Kerry Minnear and George Duke influences on both keyboardists, but generally speaking, it must be stated that Sloche never gets derivative. The optimistic spirit that is generally spread all throughout "J'un Oeil" allows the complex compositions receive a certain air of catchiness, and also gives a frontal freshness to the musicians' intricate interplaying - structural sophistication and warmth, all at once. 'C'pas fin du Monde' kicks off the album as a proper sample of the band's style, displaying an attractive intensity and a healthy variety of moods expanded along the succession of different motifs. Things get more solemn in 'Le Karême d'Eros', which starts with a 3 ½ minute majestic piano solo, until a brief chorale enters along with the whole instrumental ensemble; the sung parts are accompanied by a series of voices of people partying, acting as a funnily disturbing chorus, and so the solemnity is over. But not the seriousness, as the alternate solos on synth and guitar show: things can only get better with a piece like this, specially when the string synth layers go fading out while a spatial Moog effect drags in to announce the entry of the funk-jazz closing section. Brilliant! The title track is the shortest and catchiest one, keeping things uplifting and a bit gentler. and gigantic as well, since it is the most Gentle Giant-like piece in the album. The same gentleness is carried out by the last two numbers, albeit they're a bit more complex: 'Algébrique' and 'Potage aux herbes douteuses' contain the biggest dose of funky colours in the album, but always keeping a constant loyalty to the overall fusion-prog essence of the album. In conclusion: a masterpiece. Review from Progarchives.com


Songs / Tracks Listing

1. C'Pas La Fin Du Monde (8:45) 
2. Le Karême D'Eros (10:40) 
3. J'Un Oeil (4:41) 
4. Algébrique (6:23) 
5. Potage Aux Herbes Douteuses (7:05) 


Line-up / Musicians

- Caroll Bérard / acoustic & electric guitars, percussions, vocals
- Réjean Yacola / piano, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, clavinet, celesta, Mini-Moog, percussions, vocals
- Martin Murray / Hammond B3, Mini-Moog, Wurlitzer, Solina, saxophone, percussions, vocals
- Pierre Hébert / bass, percussions, vocals
- Gilles Chiasson / drums, percussions, vocals 
Total Time: 37:34


Friday 7 October 2016

Electric Orange - Misophonia (2016)


Fantastic krautrock music from this ever progressing band whos music always grabs you, much like the music of 'Can'. Would have to agree that this is probably their best overall album since 'MORBIUS'

As someone who remembers the classic era albums as new releases, I firmly believe some of today's 'retro' bands rival their Old Masters in quality and, paradoxically, originality. And this new Krautrock release from the 21st century's leading practitioners of the sub-genre is a prime example. I simply haven't heard a more beautiful Krautrock album since 'Future Days' in 1973. It doesn't sound like any other Krautrock exemplar, but this is definitely, definitely Krautrock.
Nothing has impressed me more about Prog Archives than the 'hit' status accorded to Electric Orange's excellent 2014 release 'Volume 10'. This is testament to the open-minded cultural vision of fans on this site. The only thing that has held me back from reviewing 'Volume 10' is the fact that my own rating would drag down its consensus score (slightly). Well, with 'Misophonia', Electric Orange have taken an artistic quantum leap - and it has the 'Wow!' factor I look for in awarding 5 stars. Their best album since the brilliant 'Morbus' of 2007 - and musically the two albums hardly sound like the same band. As others have said, Electric Orange never stop progressing.
Krautrock is not everyone's cup of tea, and I would not pretend there is any special musical cleverness required to appreciate this off-the-wall sub-genre. Really it is more a question of one's psychological state. But if you enjoyed 'Volume 10', you should love 'Misophonia'. And these albums are all on Bandcamp to hear - there is no excuse to avoid checking them out.
Verdict: A 21st century Krautrock MASTERPIECE.Review from Progarchives

Songs / Tracks Listing 
 1. Organized Suffering (18:09)
2. Bottledrone (11:48)
3. Demented (7:51)
4. Misophonia I (8:58)
5. Shattered (4:40)
6. Misophonia II (1:19)
7. Opsis (5:25)
8. Misophonia III (17:36)

Total time: 75:46

 Line-up / Musicians -
 Dirk Jan Müller / Farfisa compact, Hammond, Erebus, Solina string ensemble, MU modular synthesizer, Roland system 1
- Tom Rückwald / electric bass, fuzz bass, synthesizer bass, bottle bass
- Dirk Bittner / guitars, zither, mandolin, trumpet, phonofiddle, congas, bongos, cajon, voice
- Georg Mohnheim / drums, percussion, cymbals, beerbottles on carpet


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