Issue 2024-048
JJ Chardeau — Ombres & Lumières
French/Canadian (J)ean-(J)aques Chardeau, currently based in Paris, is composer, and producer of this release Ombres & Lumières, subtitled In Terra Cognita 2, Europa 1: Occidentalis. It is the second instalment (of intended four) of the Rock Opera Magical Music Man, following In Terra Cognita?, which came out in 2020. JJ is active since more than 30 years with various outfits, and under different names, has produced and recorded numerous albums as Chardeau, and works as composer of film music.
Besides JJ, who plays acoustic piano on most of the tracks, and John van Eps, responsible for orchestration, keyboards, vibraphone, recording, and mixing, this album resorts to the skills of altogether more than fifty musicians, and vocalists. Among the guests who have contributed to Ombres & Lumières, we find: Danny Seraphine (drums) and Jason Scheff (bass), both of Chicago, Mark Andes (bass) of Spirit, John McFee (guitars, violin) of Doobie Brothers, Jerry Goodman (electric and acoustic violins) of Mahavishnu Orchestra, John Helliwell (saxophone) of Supertramp, John Jorgenson (guitar) of The Hellecasters, Eric Troyer (vocals) of Electric Light Orchestra, Pat Mastelotto (drums) of King Crimson, Jimmy Haun (guitar) of Arc of Life, Francis Décamps (keyboards), Christian & Tristan Décamps (vocals), all of Ange, and Dave Gregory (guitar) of XTC. A real "Who's Who" of jazz / funk / southern / prog / folk rock! All of them are mentioned in the booklet of the CD, the packaging of which, with its double gatefold digipak format and a 36-page booklet with great photographic artwork is quite stunning.
If I got the narrative of the opera correctly, the Magical Music Man, in simple terms, is some kind of extraterrestrial, who is travelling around the globe in his attempt to make himself familiar with peculiarities and circumstances in various parts of the earth. In the beginning of his journey, his search appeared to be somehow accidental, picking areas from all parts of the world rather sporadically, without really knowing if he is venturing in "Terra Cognita" (hence the question mark after the subtitle of part one released in 2020). On his successor album to be reviewed now, his approach seems to have substantiated: landscapes and particularities specifically of Occidental Europe are painted in and described with music in 14 mostly instrumental songs (and the question mark in the subtitle has disappeared). It starts in JJ's home country France with Donibane Lohitzun (mentally, I assign this Basque-sounding nomination to Saint-Jean-de-Luz), and covers all Western Europe countries, only to end up in Greece, something that speaks for a generous interpretation of the term Europa Occidentalis. Maybe Edossa Fakelaki is the "handover track" to part three of the opera which presumably will look at Eastern Europe. Or did the Magical Music Man simply get lost on his journey?
Speaking of getting lost: let's not lose sight of the music on this album. One thing is for sure: the music on this release is as individual, varied, diverse, profound, joyful, and mysterious as each individual part of Europe it describes. Hardly have I ever heard a form of prog which was so difficult to pigeonhole. The music blends prog with classical music, experimental sounds with Italo pop, film music with folk, straight rock with jazz and fusion, film soundtracks with baroque, and swing of the 30ies. I had a hard time identifying peers which I could compare JJ's music with. The bands of the guest musicians appearing on this release mentioned above can serve as an indication but not more. If this were a purely classical music album, I would probably classify it as programme music, such as can be heard on Smetana's The Vltava River or Mussorgsky's Pictures At An Exhibition. Not being pure classical music, but a potpourri of styles, a classification is quasi-impossible, something that, I think, JJ Chardeau voluntarily takes for granted.
String instruments are quite present throughout the entire music, and the songs where Jerry Goodman's violin play a leading role (especially Eire and my favourite track Scandinavia) belong to the most accessible and catchy ones on the entire album - together with the few ones featuring vocals, such as Lisbon Is Dying. I have to be a bit cautious with the use of these characteristics, though, as each and every listener has his/her own subjective definition and imagination of what this means. Subjectively speaking, the more of the songs sticks in my ears, the catchier they are. Even after repetitive listening, many of the songs still sound quite new to me - and: none of the songs sounds alike. I think that is fascinating, but, on the other hand, I found myself searching for the musical red thread and for some coherence, also given the fact that this album is quite long and therefore places high demands on the listeners' abilities to concentrate and to remain focussed. It is not music that you can or should listen to "en passant".
Having dealt with this album intensively, I felt myself being in prog rock "Terra Incognita" and a bit at a loss. The most extraordinary achievement, in my opinion, is JJ's ability to consolidate the skills and contributions of all the musicians from around the world, playing so many different instruments (keyboards, guitars, bass, drums, flute, sax, violin, cello, trumpet, trombone, horn, no less than eight different vocalists, the Swing Heil Big Band a.o.). He managed to create the impression that the songs were not just thrown together, but that they are part of a concept: musical descriptions of various European cultures, landscapes, and distinctive features. Objectively speaking, this makes Ombres & Lumières an impressive work, with excellent sound quality, played by very experienced musicians, composed and arranged by an artist who hardly can be fooled in his field by anyone. Personally, this album has not touched my emotions that much, as I found it a bit too fragmented and not catchy and accessible enough. But that is just a matter of personal taste. This release definitely is worthwhile to be tested out by yourselves. Have a listen and form your own opinion.
Gavin Harrison and Antoine Fafard — Perpetual Mutations
Some albums just ooze quality and leave the listener longing for more. Some albums have a melodious nature that touches the emotions in a way that lingers. Some albums are so well crafted, that even complex playing and intricate rhythms take on an accessible air and are easily assimilated. Perpetual Mutations succeeds in all these things and then some more. The collaboration between Drummer Gavin Harrison and bassist Antoine Fafard has once again created a fascinating and memorable experience.
Perpetual Mutations ripples with feeling and stimulates the receptors of the brain in an enticing fashion. It is superbly woven and performed. It has melody, it has intricacy and complexity. Perhaps , more importantly. it exudes a sense of artistic integrity, and honesty. It just sounds fantastic, and it is probably my favourite release of 2024 so far.
The pairs first project Chemical Reactions was released in 2020. The success of that album was undoubtedly one of the catalysts for the duo's latest work. Perpetual Mutations is not necessarily a continuation of Chemical Reactions. On the contrary, it has its own identity that elegantly displays its own intense and vibrant colours.
The instrumentation is different and this certainly provides Perpetual Mutations with a sense of sophistication, spontaneity and an impressive effervescence. Whilst Chemical Reactions centred around strings and a string quartet, Perpetual Mutations has a wider range of sounds.
As well as bass, the album features Fafard on classical guitar. The classical guitar is excitingly integrated into several tunes, including the excellent Deadpan Euphoria .Its uplifting bright tones are also beautifully expressive in Pentalogic Structure and Safety Meeting.
Perpetual Mutations also has several guest players. They provide piano, rhodes, trombones, trumpets , soprano sax, oboe, marimba, vibraphone, cello, and violin. As might be expected these instruments and especially the flavoursome Cello and brass arrangements in tunes such as Deadpan Euphoria, Dark Wind and Safety Meeting give Perpetual Mutations a somewhat different taste and ambience when compared to its predecessor. The piano supports and embellishes many of the tunes and provides some lovely flourishes in Spontaneous Plan, Solus Souls II, and Safety Meeting.
Nevertheless, there is no getting away from the flamboyant sonic textures that both Harrison and Fafard consistently provide. Their flair and skillful style of playing is instantly recognisable.
In this sense, Perpetual Mutations is a natural development and progression from Chemical Reactions. During their latest release the two musicians shape and form a captivating succession of musical patterns. These change, evolve, subtly hint, and sometimes boldly point towards a style, or a different direction of travel. These multi-faceted rhythmic interactions and interjections are utterly captivating. They are liberally scattered across the nine vibrant compositions of the album.
Consequently, the pairs individual talent and technique and the appealing way they combine, is without doubt one of the stand-out features of this excellent release. Their skillful interaction is fully evident throughout this release and is tremendous.
However, the principal reason that this release is so enjoyable revolves not only around the virtuosity of the performers, but also firmly around the superb quality of Fafard's compositions. There is an uplifting gracefulness and spacious beauty that pervades many of the tunes. Perpetual Mutations is not a hard-edged fusion feast, but is rather a subtle fusion masterclass where enchanting melodies, unusual tempos, cerebral passages, and relaxing interludes all have a part to play. The composition entitled Objective Reality impressively illustrates this point despite being performed by just a trio of musicians.
On Dark Wind and Objective Reality Fafard plays an 8-string bass. The way this multi-strung, low-end instrument emits a wide range of tones full of harmonic twists and turns in Objective Reality is quite masterful. Everything about Harrison's crisp and sensitive playing is superb in this piece. It fills the spaces and creates space for Fafard and Oboist Rodrigo Escalona to excel. Much of the tunes vitality is due to the ethereal oboe playing of Escalona which carries this glorious and melodic tune to lofty frequencies and even greater heights.
Escalona's sweet tone massages all the right spots. It's been many years since I have been as bewitched by the tunefulness that an Oboe can bring to a piece. I could bask in its expansive soundscape for hours. In fact, the last time was in the 1970's, when dimly lit, smoke shrouded, I sat, cross-legged, engrossed, and enthralled whilst watching and listening to Paul McCandless of Oregon. That this long-obscured memory has been rekindled by his playing is perhaps the greatest compliment I can give to Escalona.
The other eight tracks are equally evocative. The opening piece Dark Wind has many intriguing features including unusual time signatures, the raspy sound of the Soprano Sax, an arrangement that features three trombones. For good measure, some Marimba adds to the lush rhythmic textures that are provided by Fafard and Harrison.
One of my favourite tracks is undoubtedly Deadpan Euphoria. The prominent role of the Cello adds to its poignant nature. It is a haunting tune and its candle lit ambience is readily able to soothe and wash away the trials and tribulations of any spiky day.
The violin takes centre stage during Viral Information 101, but in the final minutes Fafard unleashes a richly toned and beautifully formed, (yet all too short) solo on the fretless bass. It's a fine track and its overall sound, structure and style had me reaching for comparisons with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. It's that good !
Before I wrap up this review with some final thoughts, I must mention the magnificent sound quality of this release. Every instrument glows and can be clearly discerned. It's probably one of the best recorded and produced albums I have heard.
Just check out the clarity of the drums and the Rhodes and of course Fafard's stunning bass solo on the absolutely mesmerising Quiescent II or the sonic impact of the quasi-big band sound and drum and bass conversations in the enthralling Spontaneous Plan.
To conclude...
Some albums exceed all expectations. Perpetual Mutations certainly does!
Some albums are just great. Perpetual Mutations certainly is!
Perpetual Mutations boldly succeeds on every level.
Bertrand Loreau — Echo Of A Distant Time
Back in 1981 Bertrand Loreau started out composing songs in style of EM pioneers Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream. Fast-forward to present day, Loreau, in a minimal approach armed solely with a MiniMS and a Korg SQ1 sequencer module, presents on Echo Of A Distant Time six new compositions that to maximum effect recall in spirit those Berliner Schüle days of yore.
With songs in every respect conveying their character in atmosphere and nature. It is In The Dark that starts off the multilayered sound transmissions with dreamy flute melodies and elegantly shifting sequence progressions that minutely creates the experience of entering a cave. There, a pond is gently lit by Wurlitzer-like organ melodies that from a distance retrieve memories of The Doors. Highlighted by sounds of gushing winds and those of chirping birds the refined ambient composition finally proceeds to cautiously travel towards the light with a lengthy sequence in the finest Berliner Schüle tradition.
Velvet Moon follows this with a smooth as silk woven spacious fabric of graciously orbiting synth melodies that maintains attraction throughout. The refreshing melodic quietness of Up At Dawn awakens a sense of peaceful oceanic calm. In Harmonic Romances, under guidance of singing bowls that puts one at the risk of dosing off, relaxingly shifts towards a meditative state of spiritual bliss from which warm feelings of intimacy and affection arise.
Sounds Of Sand also speaks to the imagination thanks to a nicely regulated trickle of sequences and melodies, that are vast in scope and atmosphere. They could well act as the perfect accompaniment for an imaginary futuristic Dune soundtrack, until the suite's subtle movements finally fuse together into dainty melodies that gem-sparkle with Pink Floyd. An attractiveness that makes a brief return in the futuristic positronic flight of Endless Run which rounds off Loreau's nostalgic journey with a subtle touch of ethereal pleasantness.
Limited to 222 physical copies, Echo Of A Distant Time denotes a nicely pleasing album for fans of relaxing ambient music and those enjoying the beautiful transporting Berliner Schüle side of the EM spectrum.
Fernando Perdomo — Self
Fernando Perdomo is without a doubt one of the most prolific artists of this, or any other, era. In just 14 years he has released over 50 albums, just as many one-off tracks and EPs, produced over 150 albums and singles by other artists, is an active recording and touring member of The Dave Kerzner Band, tours with Marshall Crenshaw, contributes music to film and video companies and releases an exclusive new song every week on his Patreon page. With such a continual output, one does wonder how on earth he decides what will be released as a standalone single and what will be saved for an album. Also, given how much material he creates, isn't it perhaps odd that the album clocks in at under 40 minutes?
Well that question can be answered by the fact that Perdomo is definitely old school. Having been raised in the era of classic albums he firmly believes that albums have an inherent structure and that length is irrelevant, relying on innate experience that an album is complete when it feels that way and any more tinkering with the track listing would be detrimental to the overall integrity of the project. Indeed, many of his releases are, by modern standards, brief but that is all but irrelevant really. Although somewhat of a serial collaborator, Self is entirely the work of Perdomo who not only wrote, played and sang everything he also produced and engineered the recording. One could assume that is why the album is called what it is, but that is rather simplistic as the theme of the songs is ultimately a personal investigation in who actually Perdomo is as a person. As Perdomo states on the inner artwork, the album is "a definition of who I am. It is the most complete statement I have ever made as a recording artist".
This is reflected in some of the song titles and lyrics: Searching For Myself, Who I Really Am and Self itself are most obvious while the lyrical couplet of "Everything that happens leads to now... And now is all that matters" in the gorgeous acoustic ballad Everything Leads To Now is a reminder that our experiences are fundamental in making us what we are but that the past belongs into the past. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean the past can't be plundered for inspiration as the tale of a lost love portrayed in Absolute Silence is related in poignant gentle honesty. The "first side" of the album (the first six tracks) contains a fair amount of softer material interspersed things like Who I Really Am, where the exceptional instrumental middle eight provides contrast to the funkier verses and chorus, and the more simplistic perpetual beat of Optimist Prime, undoubtedly the least inspiring thing on the album. Still, the lovely acoustic guitar piece All Of Us Under The Same Moon more than makes up for that rare quality oversight.
Which brings us to "side two" and the almost 20-minute title track. By no means an "in yer face" onslaught, the piece takes a more considered approach and focuses on maintaining an atmosphere rather than bombarding the listener with furious displays of technical proficiency. Which is not to say the musicianship isn't first class throughout the whole album, and the electric guitar work on the latter parts of Self are right up there. Consequently, the piece takes a while to get into. It is more a piece that doesn't respond well to immediate deeply focused attention, rather more letting one gradually absorb the piece: it does worm its way into the consciousness. If you are after a more immediate prog fix from Perdomo then seek out A Circle To Guide Me which at over 125 minutes contains everything but (or more likely, including) the kitchen sink!
As a whole, Self is an absorbing, although not self-absorbed, album that has plenty of high points. I don't think it quite matches the series of Out To Sea albums that have been secured Perdomo's solo prog credentials, but is certainly not an album that should be dismissed lightly.
Incidentally, the single version of Searching For Myself is different from the album version in that it contains extra vocals by Karen Felder. As the inclusion of this version on the album would violate the 'self' concept, if you enjoy the song then check out the single version as well.
Lucassen & Soeterboek’s Plan Nine — The Long-Lost Songs
CD 2: Stand Tall (3:18), Gimme The Nighttime (3:53), Annie Moore - Demo (4:58), Get Down To Bizniz - Demo (4:09), High Speed Chase - Demo (4:21), Gimme The Nighttime - Demo (2:59), Magic Moments - Demo (4:04), Let It Ride - Home Demo (2:20), My Baby Loves Me - Home Demo (2:02), Stand Tall - Home Demo (3:14), Night On Fire - Home Demo (3:53), Life Goes On - Home Demo (3:54), Doctor Robert's Medicine Show - Instrumental Demo (2:07), Get Down To Bizniz - Home Demo (2:06), Magic Moments - Home Demo (3:41), Drunker Than Whiskey - Instrumental Demo (3:23), Long Cold Night - Instrumental Demo (3:40), Die With Your Shades On - Instrumental Demo 1 (1:35), Die With Your Shades On - Instrumental Demo 2 (1:39), Unnamed 1 - Instrumental Demo (2:07), Unnamed 2 - Instrumental Demo (2:11)
As a genre-traversing musical chameleon, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, Arjen Anthony Lucassen is the Netherlands' answer to Todd Rungren. In addition to his solo work, he has masterminded numerous projects, most notably Ayreon, Star One, The Gentle Storm, Guilt Machine, Stream Of Passion and most recent Supersonic Revolution. In the early 1980s, he was a member of heavy metal rockers Bodine who reformed and performed - without Lucassen - in the early 1990s. Lucassen witnessed one of their shows and was impressed by singer Robert Soeterboek.
As a result, Soeterboek featured as a vocalist on the first two Ayreon albums The Final Experiment and Actual Fantasy. With a mutual love of 1970s and 80s rock, Lucassen and Soeterboek also wrote and recorded several songs together before putting them to one side to work on other projects. In 2022, they revisited those songs and also recorded some new ones for this double CD release. Given Lucassen's passion for sci-fi, the name Plan Nine may be a tribute to the 1950's cult film Plan 9 From Outer Space, often cited as the worst film ever made. Plan 9 is also the name of a computer operating system developed by Bell Labs in the 1980s.
Fans of Lucassen's other projects should take note that The Long-Lost Songs has little in the way of prog or prog metal. It is for the most part a combination of mainstream rock, hard rock and blues rock. As you can see from the track list above, the songs average around the three-to-four-minute mark. The eleven original songs from the 1990s occupy disc one while the more recent songs, along with demo recordings from both periods, are collected on disc two.
The opening song Doctor Robert's Medicine Show is one of the more ambitious tracks with Queen influences and a touch of shredding guitar. The Preacher is a more soulful affair with superb vocal backing courtesy of Irene Jansen and Jane Goulding. Annie Moore has a country vibe thanks to some nifty slide guitar. Several songs including Get Down To Bizniz, the aptly titled High Speed Chase, Let It Ride and Ice On Fire recall speed metal era Deep Purple, not least due to Joost van den Broek's gutsy Hammond organ contributions. The bluesy Before The Morning Comes featuring Rob van der Loo's walking bass line is more in the style of Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Long Cold Night eases the pace with Koen Herfst's drum pattern echoing the Bo Diddley shuffle beat. For Drunker Than Whiskey, the backing singers shine during the call and response chorus before lead guitarist Marcel Singor cuts loose with a blistering solo. Disc one goes out with a bang with the mean and moody Die With Your Shades On. It's not hard to see why Lucassen was impressed by Soeterboek singing; throughout, his powerful delivery has a definite David Coverdale flavoured swagger.
Like disc one, disc two opens with probably its best song, the catchy Stand Tall. It's driven by a rhythmic hook not a million miles from Brad Fiedel's theme for The Terminator film with a barrage of djent guitar riffing in the instrumental midsection. Gimme The Nighttime is another blues rocker with chugging acoustic guitars and a compelling chorus.
To refer to the tracks that complete disc two as demos is almost misleading. They mostly feature a full band arrangement, and the recording quality is as good as you would expect from Lucassen and in some cases, hardly distinguishable from the tracks on disc one. The demos also include several original songs: the plaintiff, piano led Magic Moments, the heavy rock ballad My Baby Loves Me, the anthemic rocker Night On Fire and the reverb enhanced Life Goes On featuring an Eric Clapton style slow blues solo.
Although, as stated earlier, this is not a progressive rock album, taken on its own merits, The Long-Lost Songs is a fine collection of songs that deserved to see the light of day. They also showcase Lucassen's flair for production and Soeterboek's commanding voice. In addition to this double CD, the songs from disc one are available on vinyl and there is also a book based on the album.
Tu-Ner — Tu-Ner For Lovers
Released as a companion to their May 2024 Western US tour, Tu-Ner For Lovers is a set of progressive improvisation that sounds like a film noir soundtrack shot on some distant world. At times melodic and approaching ambient, while at others like a raging whirlpool in sweeping soundscapes, this latest release from the trio of Tu-Ner is a fantastic piece of improv and a great live record.
Tu-Ner, promo photo
Tu-Ner is Pat Mastelotto on drums, Markus Reuter on touch guitar, and Trey Gunn on Warr guitar. The Venn diagram of their various groups includes several overlaps (notably in ProjeKct-era King Crimson and Stick Men); these are three players who are very comfortable with each other and that leads to great jamming.
All of these "soundscapes" are unique and interesting. This is music that will draw you in and that you need to pay attention to. Reuter's use of sound effects and other tricks add layers and feeling to the swirl created by Gunn and Mastelotto. In A Sacrificial Mood, with its animal sounds over more ambient sounds, and They Call Him Threnody's vocal effects, are two potent examples.
Tu-Ner For Lovers is not straight-forward music in any sense of the word. This is more Anchor and Burden than KC (side note: A&B's latest record, Extinction Level, is also excellent) and therefore is not for everyone.
Tu-Ner is, however, for Lovers and this record should be spun by those with an ear towards the experimental. Also, they have included short (~20 seconds each) visualizers for each song on their Bandcamp page — cannot recommend those enough either.