L'ARAIGNÉE-MAL

Here is my review of Atoll's ''L'Araignee-Mal'' cd...''Le photographe exorciste''(8:17) starts out with some keyboard and cymbal tapping for the first minute. Then the song eventually builds up,and at times, has a funk feel to it. Guitar work comes in at 6 minutes, and bass guitar riffing can be heard throughout most of the song. A 15 second violin solo ends the song. In this song, it sounds as if the singer is talking rather than singing. Next up is "Cazotte n 1(6:21),which takes on a kind of funk rock feel about 2 minutes into the song and continues on till the end. Then comes ''Le Voleur D' Extase'', which is just over 7.5 minutes long,and starts out quietly,with violin work and vocal chanting,along with tempo changes, from mellow to rocking.The title track,which clocks in at about 21.5 minutes,has numerous tempo changes, from jazz-rock fusion to mellow playing,along with violin work,swirling keyboards,etc. The cd bonus track, a live version of ''Cazotte n 1'' is about 2 times as long as the studio version. But, it does not sound like it was recorded live. You hardly hear any background crowd noises,if any!? I would compare this cd to Mahavishnu Orchestra/Jean-luc ponty, with a bit of early Yes and Genesis thrown in. I would also recommend getting this.